What is Trauma?
brief musings (non-comprehensive)
What is Trauma?
brief musings (non-comprehensive)
Trauma is defined by the American Psychological Association as, “any disturbing experience that results in significant fear, helplessness, dissociation, confusion, or other disruptive feelings intense enough have a long-term negative effect on a person’s attitudes, behaviors, and other aspects of functioning.”
Trauma is defined the experience of an event or events, not the event or events themselves. Trauma may be a singular event or repeated exposure to events that carry similar signatures.
Trauma shifts one’s view of the world. Trauma hijacks the narrative. Trauma decreases safety. Trauma emerges as difficulties in regulating emotions, discerning reality, cultivating and maintaining trust in relationship, and maintaining self-esteem and self-worth.
Trauma may manifest as detachment, dissociation and depersonalization. Trauma may manifest as hyper-vigilance, anxiety, depression.
Trauma manifests in a variety of predictable and psychologically appropriate ways.
The symptoms of trauma are not character flaws. The symptoms of trauma are not character flaws.
Trauma may be personal and relational or impersonal and collective. Trauma may be sudden loss due to a natural disaster. Trauma may be pervasive messaging of unworthiness or persistent dismissal.
Trauma is fixity. Trauma persists in nightmares and flashbacks. Trauma fractures parts of self who remain stuck in the landscape of the wound, and are waiting to be retrieved and brought to the present moment.
There are no hierarchies, no comparisons, no whoever has the worst and most wins or loses. This is a zero sum game. Validation and empathy are not earned or owed, but rather gifts to give and receive. They are the currency of intimacy.
With Kindness and Love,
AntlerMythos
AntlerMythos is an Astrologer and a Graduate Student of Counseling Psychotherapy. She is currently getting trained at a clinic specializing in the treatment of trauma.