![trauma meaning trauma meaning](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/basictraumalifesupport-140130005112-phpapp01/95/basic-trauma-life-support-2-638.jpg)
I’ve addressed complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), PTSD, and how CPTSD is different from PTSD. Recently I tried to bring clarity and dive a little deeper into the exact terminologies and what they look like. It doesn’t matter whether the impact looks like PTSD, CPTSD, coping mechanisms, dissociation, difficulty in relationships, addiction, eating disordered behavior, a myriad of other “symptoms,” or any of all of the above. Working with a trauma survivor means working with anyone who seeks to heal from the resulting personal impact on their lives. When I talk about trauma survivors, I am speaking about anyone who has survived any type of physical, emotional or sexual trauma.
![trauma meaning trauma meaning](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41sK-19D2XL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg)
Promoting an inclusive definition of trauma By being clear that we use a definition of trauma to include the impact of mental and emotional issues, we can help more people better understand and talk about their mental health care. That’s why it’s important to help more people understand the emotional side of trauma. Confusion about the emotional injury we call trauma is a barrier to care.
![trauma meaning trauma meaning](https://i.thenile.io/r1000/9780128030158.jpg)
They don’t know they are struggling with a changed nervous system that leads to a wide range of physical and emotional symptoms. Many overlook its role in their overall health and quality of life. Yet people so often think of trauma as only including physical or sexual injury. In my next post, I’ll share about the different categories of traumatic experiences.The word trauma is so important to help those who suffer from emotional injury. Finally, and most importantly, trauma-informed counselors wholeheartedly believe that people with lived experiences of traumatic events can and do recover and heal. Furthermore, trauma-informed counselors make their own self-care a priority so they don’t burn out. Trauma-informed counselors focus on and build strengths: life will inevitably bring new challenges, and reliance on these strengths is key to navigating those challenges and making it through to the other side. Trauma-informed counselors recognize the signs and symptoms of these adaptations, and believe that recovering from the event is just as important as dealing with the “issue” that brought the client to therapy in the first place (ie.substance use, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, etc.). Trauma-Informed Counseling is more that just a theory, it is an overall approach to counseling that includes everything from being mindful about the way the physical environment of the therapy room may affect clients, to understanding that even the most destructive behavior patterns are simply a way of adapting to the experience, and a method of surviving and managing current discomfort. Why does trauma-informed counseling matter? An individual’s experience of these events impacts their physical, mental, behavioral, social, and spiritual lives. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health, 85% to 95% of women in the public mental health system report a history of trauma. However, we now know that it is a near universal experience of individuals with behavioral health problems. Trauma is usually shrouded in secrecy and denial and it is often ignored. Often, survivors can be re-traumatized by well-meaning caregivers and community service providers who haven’t been properly trained. People who have been traumatized need support and understanding from those around them. In general, trauma is the experience of extreme stress that overwhelms a person’s ability to cope. Trauma-Informed Counseling means recognizing that people often have many different types of challenging experiences in their lives. Our nervous systems can change in response to these events, and we may experience difficulty regulating our emotions, being in the present moment, and experience fulfilling relationships. ” These events leave us stuck in a state of helplessness and terror, and results in a change in how we perceive danger. Regardless of where they occur, the events are typically characterized by the inability to take the actions necessary to protect yourself, and we feel that nothing we do can stop what’s happening to us.īessel van der Kolk, M.D., defines trauma as “not the story of something that happened back then, but the current imprint of that pain, horror, and fear living inside. These events can happen in many different settings: school, home, work, community, etc. “Trauma is in the nervous system, not in the event.” -Peter Levineĭespite popular belief, when we talk about trauma, we are referring to what happens within our bodies during and after the event–not the particular event itself.