Trauma "Big T" and Small t"

By Joan Pickett, LPC

What is trauma, exactly? Well, one way to describe it is that it is an experience so horrible – so unimaginably terrifying, that the mind cannot except it. The reaction, both intellectually and physically, is like, “no, no, no, this cannot be happening.”

For some people this “Big T” trauma can be processed gradually and with a lot of time and a gradual reduction of symptoms and flashbacks, these people can resume something like their normal lives.

For others, the symptoms persist. Terrifying nightmares reliving the trauma continue. Fears grow with such problems as inability to leave the house, fear of crowds, emotional storms and other equally debilitating symptoms persist. This is the illness called Post Traumatic Syndrome (PTSD), about which we hear a lot.

But there is another “small t” trauma, which can be equally debilitating but is hidden from the person suffering from it.

Children are completely vulnerable to their emotional environment. When a child lives in an environment of instability and fear, and is subjected to periodic occurrences which terrify, the cumulative effect can reach a tipping point and result in the brain, as it grows, actually being damaged in areas important for the ability to sustain equilibrium in times of stress when reaching adulthood.

Unfortunately the person who has this disorder is often unaware of its cause, or even that his/her emotions are not “normal,” believing that “this is just me.” Periodic rages, situational or clinical depressions, and irrational behaviors all can be symptoms of this problem, called complex trauma.

Fortunately there are effective treatments for both the symptoms and the roots of the trauma.

And new treatments are being developed all the time. For help with either of these tragic problems it is important to seek help, to find the right treatment, and to be supported while recovering.