What is trauma?
Trauma is not defined only by what happened.
It is also shaped by how an experience was received, what support was available,
what meaning was made of it and what the body and nervous system
had to do in order to survive, adapt or continue functioning.
Some experiences are immediately recognizable as traumatic.
Others are developmental, relational, cumulative or difficult to name.
You may not identify with the word trauma.
You may simply know that something changed,
something remains unresolved or parts of your life have been shaped
by experiences you have not yet fully understood.
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Examples of Experiences That Can Be Traumatic
Trauma can arise from a single event, repeated experiences, ongoing conditions or circumstances in which a person felt overwhelmed,
unsafe, powerless, unsupported or unable to escape.
Experiences that may be traumatic can include:
Sexual abuse or exploitation — experiencing it directly, witnessing it, becoming aware of it or being unable to intervene
Physical abuse or violence — experiencing it personally,
witnessing it or living with the threat of it
Emotional or psychological abuse, coercive control, abandonment,
neglect or chronic invalidation
Being involved in or witnessing a serious accident
The sudden, unexpected or violent death of someone close
Serious injury, major surgery, medical intervention or life-threatening illness
War, displacement, political violence or persecution
Natural disasters and community emergencies
Developmental experiences in which safety, attachment, care or protection were inconsistent or unavailable
Ongoing exposure to conflict, instability, addiction, mental illness or violence within a family or caregiving environment
Bullying, humiliation, exclusion or repeated social harm
Vicarious trauma and cumulative exposure experienced by
helping professionals, healthcare workers, first responders and
others whose roles involve witnessing suffering
This is not a complete list.
An experience does not need to look extreme from the outside in order to have a significant impact.
What matters includes what happened, the age and circumstances
in which it occurred, the support that was available,
the meaning made of the experience and what the body and
nervous system had to do in response.
When traumatic experiences and their effects remain unrecognized or unsupported, they may continue to influence physical
and emotional wellbeing, relationships, identity, behaviour, work and everyday functioning.
They may also contribute to post-traumatic stress, complex trauma, occupational stress injury and a range of other health
and wellness concerns.
You do not need to diagnose yourself or decide whether your experience was “bad enough” before seeking support.
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You may simply know that something changed, something still affects you or parts of your life no longer feel fully available to you.
What is Developmental trauma?
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Developmental trauma refers to experiences that occur during the years when the nervous system, identity, attachment, emotional regulation, sense of safety and capacity for relationship are still developing.
These experiences may involve abuse, neglect, inconsistency, loss, chronic conflict, emotional absence, instability or having to adapt to circumstances that exceeded what a child could understand or manage alone.
The effects may arise from a single experience, but more often they develop through repeated or ongoing conditions. Because so many capacities are forming at the same time, the impact can be broad and cumulative.
Developmental trauma can influence how a person learns to:
feel safe,
recognize and express needs,
regulate emotions,
trust themselves and others,
form and maintain relationships,
understand who they are,
set boundaries,
and respond to stress, conflict or uncertainty.
The patterns that develop are not signs of failure.
They are often intelligent adaptations to what was required at the time.
Developmental trauma work helps identify where growth, safety or support may have been interrupted, while strengthening capacities that did not have enough opportunity to develop fully.
The aim is not to erase the past or return someone to an earlier version of themselves.
It is to create new experiences of safety, relationship, choice and capacity so that old survival patterns no longer have to organize the whole of a person’s present life.