What is Trauma?

What is trauma?

The word trauma comes from Greek, meaning “wound.” It refers to experiences that overwhelm a person’s ability to cope, leaving lasting emotional, psychological, or physical effects.

Understanding Trauma

Trauma can affect anyone and comes in many forms. It can be experienced directly, witnessed, learned about happening to a loved one, or result from repeated exposure to traumatic details, such as in first responders. Trauma responses can appear in many ways:

Emotional and Mental Effects:

Feelings of fear, helplessness, emptiness or a deep sense of sadness
Anxiety, depression, panic, guilt, shame, anger
Numbness and emotional shutdown
Feeling unworthy of care or respect from others
Difficulty managing emotions or relationships
Negative self-image
Feeling damaged or defective
Feeling disconnected from self and others
A sense of not belonging anywhere
Loss of meaning and purpose

Physical Effects:

Tension, aches or other body symptoms
Nervous system dysregulation
Chronic pain or heart problems
Gastrointestinal issues
Autoimmune disorders
Sleep disturbances or fatigue

Behavioural Effects:

Not All Trauma Looks the Same

You might look back on your childhood and think it was “fine” because nothing extreme or obviously distressing happened. Maybe you had a roof over your head, your basic needs were met and you were not exposed to violence or disaster.

Yet you may also remember feeling unseen, unheard, or pressured to always perform. You might have walked on eggshells around adults in your life, felt ignored, been repeatedly criticised, compared to others, or expected to meet someone else’s emotional needs. Experiences like these might not be what comes to mind when we talk about trauma, yet they can still shape your mental and emotional health. It is easy to dismiss these experiences and tell yourself you should not feel bad because others had it worse. But trauma is not about measuring your experiences against someone else’s.

Recognising that your experiences matter is the first step toward healing. You do not need to minimise or dismiss what you went through. If echoes of your childhood are still shaping your present, it may be time to explore them with compassion and care. With the right support, you can process the past, strengthen your sense of self, and build a healthier, more balanced future. You do not have to walk this path alone.

The wound is the place where the light enters you

- Rumi

Types of Trauma

Single Trauma

Repeated Trauma

Chronic Trauma

Involves ongoing, chronic traumatic experiences that wear down a person's resilience and ability to adapt
Examples: Children enduring ongoing sexual abuse, physical neglect, or emotional abuse; people in violent relationships; people living in chronic poverty.
Impact: The lack of being seen and understood can diminish your sense of self.

Those in chronically stressful environments are particularly vulnerable to traumatic stress reactions, substance use, and mental health issues.

Common Experiences of Trauma

Developmental trauma: Arises from early experiences such as neglect, abuse, abandonment, medical complications, or birth difficulties in the first three years of life. These disruptions can affect brain development, emotional growth, and the ability to form secure bonds with caregivers.
Childhood trauma: Refers to traumatic experiences before the age of 18. This may include parental separation or divorce, household substance use, mental illness, incarceration of a family member, domestic violence, or other forms of instability.
Intergenerational trauma occurs when the effects of trauma are passed down to later generations, even if they didn’t directly experience the original event. This can happen through biological changes, such as stress affecting gene expression or pregnancy, and through family or cultural patterns, like learned behaviours, mistrust, or shared histories of trauma. Experiences such as war, abuse, poverty, or systemic oppression can contribute to this cycle.

Emotional trauma: Results from emotional neglect or abuse, bullying, rejection, invalidation, discrimination, abandonment, harassment (including workplace), or experiences that leave lasting wounds on one’s sense of worth and safety.
Physical trauma: Involves direct harm or injury to the body, including accidents, assaults, medical procedures, serious illness, surgery, or physical neglect.
Sexual trauma: Encompasses experiences such as sexual abuse, rape, assault, being pressured or coerced into sexual activity, or being touched inappropriately without consent.
Relational trauma: Occurs within close relationships, often beginning in the family of origin, where trust, safety, or care is repeatedly compromised.
Psychological trauma: Can emerge from overwhelming stressors such as work burnout, chronic workplace stress, or ongoing financial difficulties.

The Lasting Impact of Trauma

Trauma can influence how you see yourself, the world around you, and how you relate to others long after the original experience has passed. It can affect:

Self-esteem and self-worth: How you feel about yourself and your abilities
Relationships and trust: The ability to connect with trust and rely on others
Emotional regulation: Managing feelings like anger, sadness, or anxiety
Coping strategies: How you respond to stress or challenges
Sense of safety and connection: Feeling secure in yourself and your environment

Recognising trauma is not about labelling yourself; it’s about understanding the impact of experiences and starting a path toward healing, self-awareness, and reconnection with your authentic self.

When you are ready, we are here. Contact us today and start moving toward a healthier, more connected you.