“The pain was necessary in order to know the truth. But we don’t have to keep the pain alive in order to keep the truth alive.” -Bruce Perry
The term trauma has become increasingly common in recent years, but how often do we stop to think about what it really means? When you hear the word ‘trauma’, what comes to mind? Most people picture major events like natural disasters, car crashes, or abuse. However, trauma extends beyond these extremes. What is often overlooked are the quiet, everyday experiences that leave a lasting impact. Trauma can be understood as any experience or circumstance that poses an actual or perceived threat to one’s life, safety, or well-being (Muldoon et al., 2018). It derives from the Greek for ‘hurt’ or ‘wound’ (Feriente et al., 2023). Trauma can be developed through either direct exposure, witnessing, or hearing about an event happening to others (Feriente et al., 2023).
Experiencing a traumatic event can be something that shapes how you see and respond to the world around you, often influencing your thoughts, emotions, and reactions in ways you may not even realize. Have you ever been in a public space when somebody nearby suddenly started shouting? You might have noticed your heart rate increase or a sense of unease settle in. That reaction could be a trauma response–your brain and body momentarily signaling danger because the situation reminded you, consciously or unconsciously, of a past experience. Trauma is something most of us will encounter in some form throughout our lives. It can shape how we move through the world long after the event has passed. It is not just the event itself that leaves an impact, but how our mind and body respond to it. The effects of trauma may be obvious or subtle. Tensing up when someone goes in for a hug you weren’t expecting, feeling suddenly unsafe when there is loud cheering at a stadium, or experiencing recurring nightmares or intrusive thoughts. These reactions are not random, they are the body’s way of trying to protect you.
When our sense of safety is threatened, the brain learns to anticipate danger so it will not be caught off guard again, this is referred to as a trauma response. Hypervigilance is a state of being on high alert, and can be adaptive in moments where it is necessary to stay safe. The challenge is when our nervous system gets stuck in that state even after that threat is gone (Smith et al., 2019). When our nervous system gets stuck in that state even after the threat is gone, this is when it can cause more harm. This is when our body begins to continuously scan for danger as if something bad is always about to happen. Over time, this can contribute to anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation or disconnection, difficulty trusting others, and even paranoid thoughts (Smith et al., 2019). The brain and body are quite literally wired for survival, and are assessing the environment for these threats as a normal response. When we remain in survival mode even after the danger has passed, this is a sign that the nervous system needs help to relearn safety.
What Does the Nervous System Do?
Following a trauma, the nervous system can be thrown into a rapid, intense state that triggers to our body that we are in danger and need to take appropriate steps to survive. The automatic nervous system (ANS) is compromised into two branches: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) which are both responsible for various functions (Siscillano et al., 2022). The phrase ‘fight-or-flight’ is a well recognized saying, but may not be entirely understood what is truly happening. The SNS signals the body into a state of readiness, increasing physical and mental activation to handle the perceived threats (Siscillano et al., 2022). This may present as increased heart rate, heightened vigilance, rapid breathing, dizziness, trembling, or your chest tightness. The PNS is responsible for bringing the body back down to a rest state, regulating the body back to baseline (Siscillano et al., 2022).
When a child grows up around violence, addiction, or abuse, the body learns to stay alert in order to survive. Over time, this can create a constant internal feeling of threat. When the nervous system is set this way, it means there has not been enough consistent experiences of safety to counter the sense of danger. This can lead to feeling unsafe expressing your own emotions, because doing that feels threatening. When you are not taught what safe emotional expression is, emotions can feel just as dangerous as the experiences that shaped them. There is current data suggesting that childhood trauma leads to worse outcomes than trauma experienced in adulthood (Feriente et al., 2023).
There are two types of trauma responses: acute and chronic. Acute trauma response is the initial response to the real or perceived threat, which is when our fight-or-flight response happens (Feriente et al., 2023). It is meant to be a short-term response, signaling our body to get to safety quickly. If you stay in this state, the initial acute response can progress to a chronic trauma response (Feriente et al., 2023). Chronic trauma response consists of hyperarousal state, avoidance, intrusive trauma-associated memories, and altered mood and thoughts (Feriente et al., 2023). The chronic stress response can show up in different ways depending on the duration and intensity of the trauma. Acute Stress Disorder refers to trauma related symptoms that occur within the first month after the event, while Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder describes symptoms that persist beyond one month (Feriente et al., 2023).
Emotional Responses Following Trauma
When we go through a traumatic event, our brain and body can take over to protect us. We are wired for survival, so our nervous system learns to recognize anything that feels similar to a past threat and react quickly. At one point, responses like crying, yelling, shutting down, or going quiet were adaptive. They worked. They helped us get through something that was overwhelming. Over time, the brain stores these reactions as a personal survival manual it refers to in moments of stress or perceived danger. A response that people don’t always recognize as trauma-related is regression to childlike behaviors during adulthood (Downey et al., 2022). This can appear in many ways, such as crying easily, shutting down when overwhelmed, becoming overly dependent on others for reassurance, or feeling unable to make decisions. These reactions typically develop as protective survival strategies earlier in life and can resurface when the nervous system senses threat, even if the current situation is not truly dangerous.
Recognizing trauma responses gives us the language and ability to approach ourselves with curiosity instead of judgment. Trauma can shape how we navigate through the world, but it doesn’t define the rest of your story. By understanding how the mind and body adapt, we open the door to deeper healing, healthier relationships, and a stronger sense of self. Healing is not linear, and you deserve compassion at every step of the process.
References
Downey, C., & Crummy, A. (2022). The impact of childhood trauma on children’s wellbeing
and adult behavior. European Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 6(1), 100237.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejtd.2021.100237
Muldoon, O. T., Haslam, S. A., Haslam, C., Cruwys, T., Kearns, M., & Jetten, J. (2019). The
social psychology of responses to trauma: social identity pathways associated with divergent
traumatic responses. European Review of Social Psychology, 30(1), 311–348.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10463283.2020.1711628
Feriante, J., & Sharma, N. P. (2023, August 2). Acute and chronic mental health trauma. In
StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island, FL: StatPearls Publishing. Available from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK594231/
Siciliano, R. E., Anderson, A. S., & Compas, B. E. (2022). Autonomic nervous system correlates
of posttraumatic stress symptoms in youth: Meta-analysis and qualitative review. Clinical
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