Sadly, I have many friends and family members, including myself, who have experienced different forms of trauma. From that personal experience, below are some types of trauma sources, including but not limited to:
- Physical abuse
- Emotional abuse
- Sexual abuse
- Psychological, cultural, or financial abuse
- Drug addiction and alcoholism
- Digital addiction (social media, internet, games)
- Sudden death of a loved one
- Tumultuous divorce
- Religious abuse
- War
- First-responder work
- School shootings
- Societal hate mongering
- Systemic racism
- Systemic sexism
- Bullying
- Community violence
- Natural disasters
- Life-threatening illness
- Loss of hearing or sight
- Abandonment
- Extreme poverty
- Accidents resulting in injury
- Assault
- Discrimination
- Harassment
- Incarceration
- Medical interventions
- Neglect
- Witnessing violence
First, it is important to note that if you or someone you know has experienced any of the above-listed traumatic occurrences, please seek immediate professional help, whether it is notifying the authorities, seeking family services, or receiving help from healthcare professionals – do not delay.
To protect the anonymity of the victims of certain traumatic experiences, I will share some stories and hopefully will not retraumatize myself, my friends or my family. Before I go into these stories, let’s see what the experts have to say about this sensitive subject.
According to the official United States government agency, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA), “SAMHSA describes individual trauma as an event or circumstance resulting in: physical harm, emotional harm, and/or life-threatening harm.
Individual trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being,”
The American Psychological Association defines trauma as, “Any disturbing experience that results in significant fear, helplessness, dissociation, confusion, or other disruptive feelings intense enough to have a long-lasting negative effect on a person’s attitudes, behavior, and other aspects of functioning.
Traumatic events include those caused by human behavior (e.g., rape, war, industrial accidents) as well as by nature (e.g., earthquakes) and often challenge an individual’s view of the world as a just, safe, and predictable place. any serious physical injury, such as a widespread burn or a blow to the head,”.
The first story happened in March of 2007. I received a phone call from my aunt around 3 am. I must have been in REM (Rapid eye movement sleep, the stage of sleep where most dreams occur), and talking in my sleep, because what she told me should have prompted an immediate response to wake up and get into action. Instead, I told her I loved her and that I would talk to her in the morning.
What my aunt told me was that she and her family were standing in their pajamas in their front yard, watching their North Carolina home burn to the ground, waiting for the fire trucks to show up. It was a horrific event. They all suffered PTSD, and their beloved family dog, who made it out alive with the rest of the family, passed away from a broken heart only weeks later.
It was also heartbreaking for my mom and I to watch them go through this from 800 miles away in Michigan, feeling powerless. Our hearts were broken for them.
Medical News Today describes the types of trauma as, “There are three main types of trauma:
- Acute trauma: This results from a single stressful or dangerous event.
- Chronic trauma: This results from repeated and prolonged exposure to highly stressful events. Examples include cases of child abuse, bullying, or domestic violence.
- Complex trauma: This results from exposure to multiple traumatic events.
Secondary trauma, or vicarious trauma, is another type that may occur. In this case, a person develops trauma symptoms due to close contact with someone who has experienced a traumatic event,”.
My family in North Carolina experienced acute trauma, while my mom and I experienced secondary trauma from that single event.
*Note: All content within this article is meant for informational purposes only and is in no way a replacement for professional medical or psychological advice or support. Seek immediate and appropriate care from a healthcare professional should you or a trusted loved one deem it necessary.
Traumatic death examples
When my mom was initially diagnosed with type two diabetes, she had lost part of her vision because the disease had progressed to an advanced stage. From then on, it was one thing or another that was going wrong with her health – it was vision loss, neuropathy, out-of-control glucose levels, water retention, and end-stage kidney failure.
It was excruciating to watch my mom go down like this, especially because I was beginning to start a family – my sons were mere toddlers. What would I do without her? How could I go on if she were to die? I was in constant fear of losing my mom.
On the other hand, my mom was in a constant state of trauma as she deteriorated and lost her independence. We were both experiencing trauma on different levels.
Horrifically, on a snowy December day in Michigan, my mom did not answer her phone as she usually did. Unfortunately, she suffered a heart attack alone, and I found her lying lifeless on the floor next to her bed.
A few years ago, a close friend of mine was hopelessly watching her daughter drink herself into a pitiful, incomprehensible, demoralizing state of being. There was nothing she could do as an alcoholic or addict must want recovery for themselves; it cannot be forced.
Sadly, one devastating evening, her daughter was drinking with a bad man who violently took her life. He murdered my friend’s daughter, who was only thirty-six years old and had a twelve-year-old son who was left behind. Needless to say, my friend is still enduring trauma-induced consequences from this horrible event. The trauma is never-ending for her, her family, and her close friends.
What qualifies as a major trauma?
A close childhood, family friend of mine has probably endured some of the worst traumatic events I can imagine. As a child, she was physically abused by her mother and sexually abused by an adult from her father’s family. She married an abusive husband who was both physically and emotionally abusive. Once she got the courage to leave that marriage, she wound up in another physically and psychologically abusive marriage.
During the time she was married to the second jerk, her sweet and kind older brother took his life. He was her protector and biggest fan. Well, at least he tried. Then, six months later, her oldest son took his life in the same manner as his uncle did. He was only seventeen years old. Saying my friend has endured major traumas is putting it lightly. I pray for her daily.
Sorrowfully, I have many more examples of trauma, but not enough space in this article to share.
Types of trauma
In conclusion, trauma takes many forms, but healing is possible. With proper support, compassion, and professional help, survivors can reclaim their lives and find hope beyond their pain.