1: Defining psychological trauma

## Defining Psychological Trauma

At its core, psychological trauma is the deep emotional wound that occurs when someone experiences an event or situation that overwhelms their ability to cope. It’s more than just feeling stressed or upset; it’s a feeling of being utterly powerless and unsafe in the face of something deeply disturbing or life-threatening. Think of it like the mind experiencing a shock so intense that it struggles to process what happened in a normal way.

This overwhelming experience could be:
- A single, sudden incident – like a car accident, a natural disaster, or a violent attack
- Ongoing, repeated experiences where a person feels trapped, terrified, or helpless – such as chronic abuse, neglect, bullying, or living in a war zone

What’s crucial to understand is that trauma isn’t defined solely by the event itself, but by the *individual’s internal experience* of it. Two people might go through the same event, but only one may be traumatized because their nervous system perceived it as overwhelmingly dangerous and they felt unable to escape or fight back effectively.

When trauma happens, it shatters our fundamental sense of safety, trust, and control in the world. It can:
- Make you feel disconnected from your body, emotions, or other people
- Cause you to feel constantly on edge, numb, or haunted by intrusive memories or nightmares

It’s as if the mind gets "stuck" in that moment of terror or helplessness, unable to fully move past it without support.

It’s important to remember that trauma reactions are **not** a sign of weakness. They are a normal human response to abnormally threatening or devastating circumstances. Your nervous system is essentially sounding an alarm that something was too much, too fast, or too overwhelming to handle at the time. Recognizing that these difficult feelings and reactions stem from trauma is the vital first step toward understanding your experiences and beginning the path toward healing.

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