What is Trauma?

WARNING – This blog deals with subject matter that some may find upsetting.

I am going to start this blog with a personal disclosure. My family and I were impacted by the June 2013 southern Alberta floods. We lost many valued possessions and we were out of home for three weeks, we witnessed the devastation that our town, neighborhood, and friends experienced. Yes, I still carry some trauma from the experience.

Every family, business, and organization was deeply affected by the flood. But local implement dealers used their combines to rescue residents from their homes, our social service agencies did a fantastic job of being present at the emergency shelters, the local Hutterite colonies set up kitchens and fed people.

The company my husband worked for at the time and the employees not affected by the flood jumped in and helped the employees affected by the flood in innumerable ways

The flood occurred before I returned to school to become a counsellor. However, immediately after the flood and in the following months I noticed that some people were coping better than others.

Unknowingly, we were well equipped to endure the flood and its aftermath. After the flood, I noticed the difference between individuals who were well equipped to go through such an event and those who were not. I was not a counsellor in 2013, but the flood and its aftermath sparked my interest in trauma and treating individuals who feel they are dealing with the emotional, cognitive, and physical impacts of trauma.

In the last several years Trauma has become a buzz word and the word has lost some of its meaning. In fact, the mere mention of the word turns some off.

Therefore, it is appropriate to start the more academic part of this blog with a definition of trauma. According to the American Psychological Association trauma is an, “emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, crime, natural disaster, physical or emotional abuse, neglect, experiencing or witnessing violence, death of a loved one, war, and more”. Generally, trauma renders a person feeling powerless, fearful, and full of anxiety. It turns their world upside down and can disrupt their core beliefs.

It is important to keep in mind that trauma is an individual experience. That is, an event that destroys one person’s sense of empowerment and safety, will not affect another person. You may be wondering why this is the case. There are many external and internal factors that contribute to how an individual experiences a traumatic event. In terms of external factors, we must consider whether the following items:

-time – was the trauma ongoing, as in abuse, or if it was a one time event?

-physical proximity – was the individual physically close to the event? For example, a plane crash.

-social awareness - how much was the trauma discussed in the individual’s surroundings. For example, was it a wild fire that was constantly in the news?

-what was the impact on the individual’s community? How did the event affect local social service agencies, schools, churches, etc.?

Regarding the individual factors that can influence how and to what degree the trauma effects them is can include:

-their underlying beliefs about themselves and the world. Do they see the world as a safe place? Do they see themselves as being able to influence their world?

-do they have friends and family that they can rely upon?

-Are their community groups, social service agencies, and/or churches that are assisting the survivors?

-Has the individual survived trauma in the past?

My family and I negotiated the 2013 floods well because many friends, families, and even strangers helped us out by babysitting our daughter and making sure she had fun while my husband and I cleaned out our home with co-workers and friends and bringing around sandwiches and water for people cleaning up the debris. Furthermore, the government of Alberta brought in mental health support for our kids when school started in the Fall. As well, my husband and I were physically, emotionally, and intellectually able to negotiate the flood’s aftermath.

However, there were individuals in our community, who did not have friends, family, and co-workers who could immediately provide help. Making the situation worse, was that all of the community service agencies, churches, and schools were also affected by the flood. That said, many of them hit the ground running after the flood, but their full range of services were not there.

When trauma occurs this happens in the body…this happens in the mind…this is the result

It is when the effects of trauma linger…they have a negative effect…