Traumatic experiences shake the very foundations of our beliefs about safety, and they assault our foundational assumptions of trust. Because these events are so far outside what one would normally expect, they provoke reactions that feel strange or “abnormal.” It should be noted, however, that even though these reactions are unusual and distressing, they are mostly typical and predictable. These reactions are normal responses to abnormal events.

Trauma symptoms are mostly adaptive, and are designed to help us recognize and avoid other dangerous situations quickly. Sometimes these symptoms resolve within a few days or weeks of a disturbing experience: Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD. It is when characteristic symptoms persist for weeks or months, or when these symptoms are initially extreme and persistent, that professional assistance may be indicated. If symptoms persist for several months without treatment, then avoidance can become the best coping method available to deal with the trauma. Ironically, this strategy interferes with seeking professional help and the problems compound the longer help is delayed.

Small 'T' Trauma

We create meaning out of the context in which events occur. Consequently, there is always a strong subjective aspect to a person’s reaction to traumatic events. This has been seen most clearly in disasters, where a broad cross-section of people are exposed to basically the same traumatic experience. Some of the individual differences in susceptibility to PTSD following trauma probably stem from temperament, a prior history of trauma, or other personality issues. There are other events that may occur earlier in our lives which may not fall into the category of universally distressing or even outside the range of normal human experience, yet theses events we found to be personally traumatic and the very fact that we remember them is significant. The death of a parent or a childhood friend, while fairly commonplace, is still something that remains distressing to the child and reverberates far into adulthood. Some adults can vividly remember the time the teacher made fun of them in front of the whole class or the fact that their classmates referred to them as “fatty.” While not diagnosable as full-blown PTSD, these events need to be addressed and resolved where possible.