What are Examples of Trauma?

What is trauma? Whenever your sense of safety is disrupted, your mind and body take notice.

The aftermath, how much it disrupts your life, is dictated by how you are affected by the experience, and the steps you take to heal.

Let’s take a look at the five main examples of trauma:

Neglect and Abuse

Abuse and neglect that happened during childhood leaves a deep wound.

Often, children internalize the abuse to mean there is something wrong with them. They build their whole self-perception around a flawed idea that they’re wrong in some way; not good enough.

The challenge is because this is such an early wound (and consequently such a foundational self-belief) it’s hard to see it. People with this belief often unconsciously make unhealthy choices as adults guided by this internalized feeling of being flawed or unworthy, without even realizing it.

Those who experienced this pattern of abuse and neglect in childhood often relive it in adulthood. Our unconscious seeks out the familiar, and if this wound is unaddressed, the likelihood that you’ll find another tumultuous relationship or partner who takes advantage of you is high.

The good news is, this old (and incorrect!) narrative can be rewritten. Therapy is an excellent way to peel back the layers to address this rot in the foundation to help you heal.

Accidents or Disasters

You’ll never forget evacuating from that wildfire. You remember what you were wearing. You remember the acrid smell of the smoke, the crackle of the flames. You fled with some photo albums and your dog. You didn’t even have time to put on a bra.

Now, every time you smell smoke, a smell you used to love because it signified fall, your pulse quickens. You’re on high alert. You can feel the adrenaline surge, and it’s still coursing through your system even after you realize the smoke is coming from your new neighbors’ chimney.

Accidents and disasters often happen when we least expect them. Our system responds by cranking the alertness and hypervigilance up to 11. I will never be caught off guard again!

Many experience heightened alertness coupled with flashbacks or nightmares of the incident itself. It replays in a loop, and our poor body responds, releasing a cocktail of stress hormones each time.

This can be addressed in therapy. There are excellent research-based, effective means to help release this experience from the forefront of your body and mind.

Exposure to Violence

Witnessing or being the victim of a violent attack is traumatic. It is important that you find a therapist to help you process the experience. Otherwise, it can severely impact your life.

Reentering the world after witnessing or experiencing something like this may feel terrifying, but it is doable. Your therapist can offer the tools, treatment, and other means to help you regain a sense of safety.

Sudden Loss

Loss, even expected loss, is traumatic. Sudden loss spins you on your axis. Your mind has a really hard time reconciling it. You fade into grief and lose track of yourself. Attending to basic needs falls by the wayside. Your memory is crap. Time feels different.

Allowing yourself to grieve is one of the most important things to do. Let yourself cry. Let yourself feel the pain, the love, the confusion. Let yourself be.

Suppressing your feelings here can leave lasting consequences.

Therapy can be an incredible support. It offers a safe place to move through the trauma and consequent feelings of sadness, unashamed and unencumbered.

Medical and Dental Trauma

For those navigating a diagnosis or those who have had a traumatic medical experience, medical trauma is something many people deal with. The kicker is that the issue will exist whether or not you get that scan or whether or not you take care of that root canal.

Learning to face medical trauma is the ultimate act of self-care. You care about yourself enough to take the necessary, albeit terrifying, step, and you hold yourself through the process. This means acknowledging your fear and worst-case scenario yet promising to love yourself through the outcome, no matter what.

This is easier said than done, and something a therapist can help you learn.

Unaddressed unresolved trauma is big and scary, but you are stronger than you think. If you’re dealing with one or more of these examples of trauma, know that you don’t have to suffer; help is available. Give us a call or text anytime to learn more about who we are and how we can help.

Begin Trauma Therapy in the Sacramento Area or Online:

Are you ready to find peace and healing after trauma? We are here to support you and provide high-quality evidence-based trauma treatment to people in the Sacramento Area and online for people living in the state of California. To begin trauma therapy in Fair Oaks, CA or Roseville, CA, please follow these steps:

1. Reach out to our relationship therapy clinic for a free 15-minute phone consultation to learn more about trauma therapy.
2. Meet with one of our compassionate trauma therapists.
3. Begin trauma treatment and regain control in your life.

Other Services Offered at The Relationship Therapy Center in California:

In addition to trauma therapy, Our Sacramento area counseling clinics located in Roseville and Fair Oaks, CA are pleased to offer a variety of mental health services. Our couples services include: Counseling after infidelity, sex therapy, co-parent counseling, family therapy, divorce counseling, intensive couples retreats, and premarital counseling. Individual therapy services include, therapy for children, teen therapy, depression treatment, and individual relationship counseling. Our therapists offer online counseling in California to treat a variety of mental health concerns. Please reach out to our Sacramento area therapy office to learn more about the many ways we can help you or your loved ones heal and grow.