Beth M. Broom, LPC-S, CCTP-II
Trauma has become such a commonplace word in our language. In some ways, this is a gift. For so long, survivors of trauma were often misunderstood. Their pain was minimized, and they were left feeling as if they were crazy or irreparable. Now that education about trauma has entered the mainstream arena, survivors can more readily find support and help amidst their suffering.
However, because the word ‘trauma’ is now used so often, it easily becomes misused. People don’t really know what it means, so they use it to describe experiences and effects that don’t actually fit the category of trauma. And because the word is misused, it can also become watered down. Suddenly anything can be labeled as traumatic.
You may not be a mental health professional who would be called upon to diagnose Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Maybe you’re a pastor or ministry leader. Maybe you’re a good friend or family member of someone who has experienced something terrible and now suffers from its effects. But no matter who you are, you will most definitely interact with someone who has experienced trauma. So how do you know what it is?
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) defines trauma as “an event or circumstance resulting in physical harm, emotional harm and/or life-threatening harm. The event or circumstance has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s mental, physical and emotional health, as well as on social and/or spiritual well-being” (https://www.samhsa.gov/trauma-violence).
Let’s examine this definition in order to better understand its essence. There are two things that must occur in order for someone to be traumatized. First, he has to experience an event or series of events that causes physical, emotional, and/or life-threatening harm. Based on this definition, we cannot say that receiving a bad review from our professor or boss is traumatizing, because it does not cause deep harm. Now let me give this caveat: sometimes a person may experience something that, in and of itself, is not harmful. But if that same thing keeps happening over and over again, it can produce harm. I call this ‘death by a thousand cuts.’ One cut isn’t enough to make you bleed. But if you keep getting cut in the same way and the same location, eventually you may bleed out.
Secondly, the person who encountered harm must experience lasting adverse effects that carry over into all arenas of life. These effects may include:
- Avoidance of people, places, memories, and sensations that remind him of the harmful event
- Intrusive thoughts and emotions, which may include flashbacks and nightmares related to the harmful event
- Negative changes in thinking and mood which affect work, personal life, and relationships
- Changes in reactivity, including startle response and hypervigilance (continuously anticipating danger).
Not all of these effects must be present, but a person who experiences traumatization will notice many struggles that alter his ability to function in daily life.
As you come alongside people who are suffering, it’s important to know about trauma and its effects. However, we should be careful about quickly judging a person’s state. We are called to look at the fruit in a person’s life and notice whether they are walking in obedience to Christ (Matthew 12:33). But we cannot see deeply into the heart of a person. God searches the heart and knows what’s within. As his instruments, we are called to pay attention to a person’s behavior, but we are also called to seek understanding and walk compassionately with those who suffer. So let’s be careful not to hastily determine whether a person has experienced traumatization. Understanding takes time. “The purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out” (Proverbs 20:5).
We have created a handout that lists the definition and effects of traumatization, and CTHN members can access it by clicking HERE. If you want to learn more about becoming a CTHN member, click HERE.
