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What Does Trauma Mean

Trauma is a word we often hear, yet its true nature is frequently misunderstood and underestimated. There is no single definition of trauma – it can be different things to different people. An entire book wouldn’t be sufficient for this topic, so the below is meant only as a short introduction to some of the themes I hold as central in my work. 

Trauma can result from a wide range of experiences, big or small.  These experiences can be singular events or a series of events, ranging from catastrophic events to everyday challenges. There may not be a specific event – for example, an environment or relational situation may be traumatic in itself.  

Judy Atkinson writes in Trauma trails, Recreating Song Lines: The Transgenerational Effects of Trauma in Indigenous Australia (2002) that:

       “Trauma is…an event or process which overwhelms the individual, family or community and the ability to cope in the mind, body, soul            [and] spirit”. 

Peter Levine, a world leading trauma expert and developer of the Somatic Experiencing framework suggests that:

        “[w]e become traumatised when our ability to respond to a perceived threat is in some way overwhelmed”.

Another renowned trauma expert, Gabor Maté, writes that:

         “[t]he essence of trauma is disconnection from the self”.

For me, the description of a “disconnection from the self” feels particularly true. Drawing on the work of Staci K. Haines, I would also add that trauma often ruptures one or more of our basic needs for safety, belonging and/or dignity.

Trauma manifests uniquely for each individual, and its effects can be far-reaching and long-lasting. Experiencing ongoing symptoms following exposure to trauma is often referred to as post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or complex post traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD), although my preference is not to use these terms; traumatisation is a normal human response to an overwhelming experience and it’s important to me that we do not label it as a disorder.

Trauma is systemic within our bodies rather than being confined to the emotional or psychological. For example, our nervous systems become dysregulated, our bodies can experience increased inflammation and we might start to develop symptoms such as anxiety, depression, hypervigilance, persistent pain, chronic fatigue, gut discomfort or skin irritation. These symptoms, together with the accompanying emotions and thought patterns, can be confusing, debilitative and deeply distressing in the ways they impact our lives. 

In fact, these symptoms are often our bodies’ way of communicating with us – of letting us know that we are holding trauma within us that we need to heal in order to return to wellness and internal alignment.

And we can heal – our bodies already know how to do so – and indeed we see wild animals encounter potentially traumatic events on a regular basis without becoming traumatised. Sometimes we need to re-visit our primal knowings and re-learn how to embrace the conditions that will allow our bodies to use their innate wisdom to move, easefully and organically, towards healing and wholeness.

This sense of our bodies’ abilities to move towards healing is grounded in Steve Hoskinson’s Organic Intelligence framework. Steve chooses to frame trauma as “an unintegrated resource” – perhaps challenging for some of us. 

The more I have encountered the manifestations and effects of trauma, including my own, the more I appreciate the invitation to frame trauma as an integrated resource – an opening, a learning, a re-discovery of self, leading to post-traumatic growth. My experience, both for myself and my clients, is that being supported to process trauma in a safe, gentle and resourced environment can allow an acceptance, an expansion and healing to unfold.

All of my work is grounded in an understanding of trauma-informed approaches. If you’d like to explore this further with me, I’d love to hear from you. I offer individual somatic coaching sessions and workplace coaching, as well as trauma-informed training and consultancy to legal professionals and those navigating legal proceedings.