The million-dollar question and probably one of the most common questions that clients ask me.
“What is trauma?”
“Have I experienced trauma?”
“Would you consider what I have been through trauma?”
As humans we have a tendency to want to define and categorize things neatly. While that works for some things, it’s not that simple when it comes to trauma.
Exclusive definitions of trauma
Traditional definitions of trauma have been quite narrow. These definitions have focused on specific life-threatening events including sexual and physical assault, accidents, natural disasters and war conflict. There are so many traumatic experiences that don’t fall into this narrow categorization. This type of categorization is limiting and often prevents those who have experienced traumatic events outside of these categories from seeking help. The fear is that any other experiences might not be validated or considered worthy of formal support. I have worked with a number of clients who have actually been re-traumatized after seeking help elsewhere when their experiences were de-legitimized and invalidated by such narrow definitions of trauma and therapists who were not trauma-informed.
Promoting more inclusive definitions of trauma
Some mental health professionals remain loyal to the traditional definition of trauma to this day. As a therapist, my preference is to be more inclusive in terms of how I define trauma. When I’m asked what constitutes trauma, my formal therapist answer is this: trauma is the emotional, physical, social or spiritual distress that is endured as a result of an event or situation that is perceived as life threatening or seriously overwhelms one’s ability to cope. With this definition, I am less concerned with the nature of the event itself and more focused on how the event was experienced and its overall impact on functioning and well-being. Broadening the definition of trauma is important for so many reasons. The most important reason being that there are so many people who think there is something wrong with them because they are feel chronic distress related to events typically not considered warranting of such strong emotional responses.
Do I need to label my experiences in therapy?
It’s up to you! A therapist should never force you to do something you don’t want or aren’t ready to do. With your consent, part of the therapy process with OPS may involve having conversations around whether or not you would like to define or label what you’ve been through and why doing so might be important to you. I have worked with many clients who did not think their experiences fell under the trauma umbrella but through therapeutic discovery came to this conclusion. The result of labelling is often quite validating and liberating for clients who are processing their experiences. Yet for others, labelling can make them feel like they are being placed in a box they don’t want to be in. It’s not up to anyone but you whether or not you want to label your experiences and what that label is.
If you’re interested in exploring this further with a therapist, I would be happy to work with you. OPS is currently meeting with new clients. Send me an email today at hello@onpsychotherapysolutions.com to get started.
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