Dealing with Different Types of Traumatic Experiences

Not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop lasting psychological trauma. The impact of trauma can vary depending on individual factors, such as the person’s age, personality, and support system.

Various events can cause traumatic experiences, but they often involve a threat to one’s safety or well-being or being the witness to that threat. Some common examples of traumatic experiences include:

• Physical or sexual assault.
• Natural disasters.
• War or combat.
• Childhood neglect or abuse.
• Witnessing violence or death.
• Serious accidents or injuries.
• Coping with chronic illness.

Traumatic experiences as a child

These are specifically called ACEs, which stand for Adverse Childhood Experiences. Many things can cause children trauma that adults take in stride. This is usually because a child has less information about the experience and leans toward more concrete thinking. For instance, a child might be traumatized by witnessing a serious injury to a friend because they still don’t know how the human body heals, etc.

Children’s unfamiliarity with the world can cause them to fill in information gaps with wild imaginations. While giving them full details is not always necessary, it is better to let them ask questions and give honest answers than leave them to speculate and assume they are fine.

Traumatic experiences as part of your job

Several jobs, usually in the emergency field, expose people to things that many consider traumatic experiences. Firefighters, paramedics, nurses, and doctors witness trauma, sometimes daily. If your job exposes you to such things, you may feel immune to trauma. However, some incidents can still have a more lasting impact on your psyche. When something sticks more in your mind and emotions, you have likely had a traumatic experience.

While these professionals may develop a certain degree of resilience and coping mechanisms over time, the cumulative effect of witnessing and dealing with traumatic events can take a toll on their mental well-being.

In such cases, peer support can be a valuable resource. Peers who share similar experiences and understand the demands of the job can often provide the empathy, understanding, and emotional validation that may be lacking in other settings. The benefits of peer support include:

Practical advice and support

Peers who have successfully navigated their own experiences with trauma can offer practical advice and support to those who are struggling. They can share coping mechanisms, resources, and strategies for managing the psychological and emotional effects of traumatic events.

Role modeling

Individuals who have successfully overcome traumatic experiences can serve as role models for others, demonstrating the possibility of recovery and growth. By sharing their stories and experiences, peers can instill hope and resilience in those who are struggling.

Traumatic experiences in a community

Natural disasters, leaders who fall from grace, war; certain traumatic experiences happen within communities. This kind of trauma may receive more attention from the outside, government aid, and media frenzy, which can exacerbate the trauma for people who normally live private lives. These types of experiences are sometimes called collective trauma.

Collective trauma, a profound and shared psychological wound experienced by a community or group of people, can arise from various sources, including natural disasters, wars, political upheavals, or global pandemics. These events often result in widespread disruption, loss, and psychological distress.

One prominent example of collective trauma in recent times is the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sudden onset of the virus, coupled with the ensuing lockdowns, social isolation, and economic hardships, has left a deep and lasting scar on societies worldwide.

The prolonged period of uncertainty, fear, and grief has affected individuals, families, and communities alike. Many people have experienced prolonged isolation, job losses, and separation from loved ones, leading to feelings of loneliness, anxiety, and depression.

The psychological consequences of collective trauma can be far-reaching and long-lasting. Survivors may experience symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and difficulty concentrating. They may also struggle with feelings of grief, guilt, anger, and helplessness. In addition, collective trauma can erode trust in institutions, weaken social bonds, and exacerbate existing inequalities.

Addressing collective trauma requires a multifaceted approach. It involves providing immediate support and resources to affected communities, such as mental health services, financial assistance, and access to healthcare. Long-term efforts may include promoting reconciliation, fostering resilience, and creating opportunities for healing and growth.

Storytelling and community engagement can play a vital role in the healing process. Sharing personal experiences, creating spaces for dialogue, and engaging in acts of remembrance can help individuals and communities come to terms with their trauma and rebuild a sense of hope and belonging.

Trauma resiliency

Going through life with zero traumatic experiences is unlikely. Instead of trying to avoid trauma, you can focus on trauma resiliency. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), psychological resilience is defined as “the process and outcome of successfully adapting to difficult or challenging life experiences.” In trauma, resiliency refers to coping and moving forward in the aftermath of trauma. Some of the steps you can take to build trauma resilience include:

• Seeking support from friends, family, and medical professionals.
• Engaging in self-care through creative projects, journaling, or other things you love.
• Take care of your physical health with exercise, a balanced diet, and regular sleep.
• Practice self-awareness in your thoughts, replacing negative, fearful thoughts with hopefulness and gratitude.

Spirituality, faith, and trauma

Once you have had a traumatic experience, it never fully leaves you, but the impacts do not all have to be negative. As you build trauma resiliency you may discover some benefits. Your experience may lead to you becoming more compassionate toward others. You can learn which people are the ones you rely on when difficult times come up. Time spent on creative projects can become more than a healthy coping mechanism.

The role of faith in coping with trauma varies as much as everything else in response to trauma. You may be angry and have doubts and uncomfortable feelings about why God would let something like this happen.

It is more than ok to bring all those feelings to God. Throughout the Bible we see writers doing just that. David in the Psalms, many of the prophets in the Old Testament, and even Paul in the New Testament shared struggles with God and the hope they have in God.

You who are my Comforter in sorrow, my heart is faint within me. Listen to the cry of my people from a land far away: “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King no longer there?” – Jeremiah 8:18-19, NIV

Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. – Jeremiah 31:13, NIV

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 1:3-5, NIV

God has not promised a life that is free from trouble, rather He promises to be of comfort in the troubles that we experience. Meditating on these passages of Scripture and others like them can be a source of building your resiliency and your faith.

When you have been through a traumatic experience you may benefit from professional help. A trauma-trained therapist can provide support and tools for resilience. Christian counseling can help you process the gaps between your faith and trauma. When you contact our office be sure to ask about trauma-trained therapy so that we can connect you with the right people to provide you with the support and healing that you need.