THE 4 TYPES OF TRAUMA THAT CAN STEAL YOUR PEACE & WHAT YOU MAY NEED TO DO

When I say the word TRAUMA, what comes to your mind?

 Maybe surviving a war as a veteran, domestic violence, cutting your finger with a sharp knife, being abandoned, being a part of an ethnic group that survived massive genocide or going through a natural disaster. [https://www.ecmhc.org/tutorials/trauma/mod1_3.html]

Well, those would all be forms of traumatic experiences and those experiences would all be categorized in one of the 4 main types of trauma.

 WHAT IS TRAUMA

Trauma is an experience that causes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual harm. It can be a short-lived experience or can be an experience that is repeated over a long period of time.

 4 MAIN CATEGORIES OF TRAUMA

· Acute trauma: is the type of trauma that is experienced at 1 time as 1 event. For example, if a person almost drowns in a swimming pool, that may be considered an acute trauma. This experience may then have a lasting effect that results in a person being afraid of getting in water.

· Chronic trauma: is the type of trauma re-occurs over a period of time. An example can be repeated sexual abuse or dealing with a drug-addicted spouse for years. Chronic trauma can definitely cause long term psychological struggles even if the trauma eventually ends.

· Complex trauma: is the type of trauma that involves several traumatic events within a given timeframe. For example, a natural disaster such as a tornado could be a complex trauma. If a town of people experience a tornado, the act of having to take shelter can be traumatic. Once the tornado is over, the experience of losing their homes could be yet another trauma. The amount of time and effort that is put into rebuilding or having to move could be yet another trauma. All of these experiences are caused by the tornado so it would be considered a complex multi-tiered level of trauma.

· Historical trauma: it the trauma that is usually experienced by an entire community such as a racial group, ethnic group, tribal community, a specific gender, or a group of people that identify with a specific religion. Historical trauma can involve oppression, displacement, genocide, imprisonment, lynching, segregation tactics, enslavement, discrimination or atrocities committed during warfare such as mass rapes of a specific group. 

Many times, historical traumas can take place over a prolonged period of time and over multiple generations of a community. Historical trauma can be a catalyst for the inheritance of specific demoralizing internal beliefs. The results can include low self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, self-destructive behavior, feelings of hopelessness. It can also result in the manifestation of physical health issues as the body’s survival response due to years of prolonged stress and anxiety.

The worse part of trauma is that even when an event or experience has ended, the psychological effects can last for many years. The fear, anxiety, depression, or voice of the oppressor can stay with a person long after the trauma ended. For many women, trauma can induce a number of limiting beliefs that hold them back from moving forward. Feelings and beliefs around not being good enough, smart, talented, powerful, beautiful, safe or equal. 

In order to truly move forward in life, past trauma must be confronted and healed. Many times, in working with my one-on-one clients, child-hood trauma is one of the first topics of conversation. The reason is that it explains many times why the client is facing many of her life challenges.

Once we are able to identify past trauma and work through the issues, we are then able to get clear on where she would like her life to go and how to get there.  

Have you ever experienced trauma? What type of trauma did you experience? Did you ever get help? 

If you are feeling like you may need to seek help in order to get past the limiting beliefs that trauma has caused you then let’s chat. 

 A big part of life-coaching is helping women dismantle the mental barriers that have kept them from moving forward, reaching their goals and creating a life they love. 

Click the link here to get on my calendar for a FREE coaching strategy call: https://bit.ly/TiffinyCalendar

 Tiffiny J. Fambro, M.P.H, Women's Empowerment Coach

https://cccwomensempowerment.com

Creator of Clarity, Confidence and Courage: Step Into Your Power and Love Your Life? Program.