Please note before reading: Some of the information provided in this post may be triggering for those who have experienced trauma. If you are not in a healthy mental state, please do not read this post at this time. I have provided immediate crisis support numbers at the bottom of this page.
Many of us have something in mind when we hear the word, “trauma”. I’d imagine that most people think of tragic events including the death of a loved one, abuse, natural disasters, serious medical procedures, war, divorce, etc. These are all examples of macro-traumas. Macro-traumas are events that happen suddenly and cause our brain and body to go into a state of shock. This state of shock consists of the "fight, flight, freeze" response.
For the past 5 years, I’ve been working with children who have experienced physical and sexual abuse. Through working with this population, I have learned so much about how any type of trauma can alter the brain chemistry and make a huge impact on someone’s life, even years after the trauma ended. I’ve heard hundreds of stories from victims and realized how common macro-traumas are. Not only are the families I work with suffering from one traumatic event, but many of them are suffering from multiple adversities in their short life (ages 3-18). Additionally, there are generational trauma trends where families mimic the same trauma for multiple generations (this will be a later topic covered).
In grad school, I took a pause from working with this population and worked with college students and adults. Nearly every single client would acknowledge a macro-trauma, and the ones who didn’t endorsed micro-traumas with profound impacts on their ability to think, feel, and act their best.
Micro traumas are experiences that may be viewed as minor events that can produce significant damage to the emotional state and wellbeing of an individual. Some examples may include repeated insults and microaggressions, ongoing relational abandonment, dysfunctional relationships, witnessing acts of violence, high emotional conflict within the family, etc.
Roughly 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event once in their life. Unfortunately, there is no statistical data on the number of individuals who experience traumas and seek counseling. I’d imagine that many people don’t seek proper treatment if they get treatment at all. The instinct is to suppress the effects of trauma and “move on”. However, this coping mechanism often manifests profoundly, causing significant mental health impairments. Many people who seek therapy for anxiety and depression most likely have a macro or micro-trauma that predates the onset of anxiety and depressive symptoms.
Most of us meet the criteria for having experienced macro or micro-trauma(s), yet most of us do not know how trauma affects the brain, common trauma symptoms, self-care practices, or treatment that will drastically help the healing and recovery process.
Keep following along this page as I share more about this topic and feel free to reach out if you have any specific questions or topics that you would like me to cover.
"Trauma creates change you don't choose, healing is about creating change you do choose." - Michelle Rosenthal
National Suicide Prevention Line: 800-273-8255
Crisis text line: 741741
Emergency: 911