What is trauma?
Trauma is the mind and body’s response to a deeply distressing experience that causes or threatens physical or emotional harm, to you or somebody else. It can make you feel unsafe, helpless or deeply shaken.
The experiences that lead to trauma are often called traumatic events or traumatic experiences. These can look different for everyone. They can be one-off events, repeat or prolonged events over a period of time or a series of multiple events that happen at home, work or in a community.
Some examples of experiences that may cause trauma include:
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Abuse (e.g. domestic, financial, emotional, racial, sexual)
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Adverse childhood experiences
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Witnessing abuse
or violence happen to others
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Exposure to distressing events through work
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Sudden death of a loved one or bereavement by suicide
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Violence or physical assault
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Serious health problems or life-threatening illness
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Miscarriage, baby loss or childbirth
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Serious accidents or road traffic collisions
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War, conflict
or terror
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Natural disasters
What are the symptoms?
It’s common for the feelings and reactions stemming from traumatic experiences to persist for days, weeks, months, or even years afterward. They can continue to be distressing and affect your mental and physical health.
You may be going through some or many of the following:
Avoiding people, places or situations
Intrusive memories or thoughts
Nightmares & disturbed sleep
Feeling jumpy & always on edge
Flashbacks & panic attacks
Difficulty concentrating
Negative beliefs about yourself, others & the world
Low confidence & self-esteem
Struggles with relationships (work, home & friends)
You may find these challenges affect many aspects of your life, including cognitive functioning, behaviour, relationships, work, finances and feeling connected to your community.
Trauma can contribute to mental health conditions including PTSD, C-PTSD, anxiety and depression as well as other problems, including with alcohol and drugs.
If you're struggling as a result of your experience(s)
- you're not alone, we're here to help
