Trauma is helplessness. It is what it feels like to be stuck. It is not being seen or heard for all you are. It is "damned if I do and damned if I don't." We all have experienced trauma to some degree from the day of a birth as a newborn to struggling to our last breath and every experience in between. Trauma informed care are those health professionals who recognize, understand, & empathize with the impact of trauma. There are 2 kinds of trauma. Little T (t) trauma and big T (T) trauma. Big T trauma includes things like:

• Experiencing violence
• Witnessing violence
• Living through a natural disaster
• Life threatening events
• Witnessing a death
• Sexual violence

This kind of trauma is also an example of what is known as acute trauma. This is a trauma that comes from a singular traumatic event, rather than ongoing distress. Some common ways acute trauma can present include:

• heightened/excessive anxiety
• Inability to sleep through the night
• Increased + irrational sense of distrust
• Dissociation
• Feeling disconnected from surroundings
• Irritability
• Frequent confusion
• Increased aggression

Little t trauma often results in what is known as chronic trauma. Particularly with experiences like emotional abuse, childhood bullying, and harassment as they are instances of repeated exposure to emotional distress, which is the definition of chronic trauma.

Some ways chronic trauma symptoms present include:

• Heightened anxiety
• Irritability
• Memory issues
• Trouble sleeping
• Fatigue
• Misperceptions of surroundings
• Increased rage

Little t trauma is often overlooked, and often a source of self shame. And people often do not even realize that they are experiencing trauma symptoms since they didn’t live through a “traumatic event.” But if you are experiencing any of the symptoms on the list above, you may be living with little t trauma.

There is another type of trauma: complex trauma, which is the result of exposure to multiple traumatic events, or a combination of both Big T and little t trauma.

If you need support on navigating trauma, please reach out for your free consult today so I can point you in the right direction.