Trauma

Trauma is derived from the Greek term for “wound”. When we experience frightening or distressing events, this may result in a psychological wound or injury than can impact our ability to cope or function. 

Trauma looks differently for everybody. Some experiences of trauma may be experienced across an extended period of time. Some examples may include but aren’t limited to experiences of physical, sexual or emotional abuse, neglect or abandonment, violence or war, kidnapping or slavery. In some cases, trauma can show up in the form of single incidents such as experiencing a car accident, a natural disaster, or sexual assault. 

Trauma can also impact individuals vicariously through witnessing a traumatic event or learning about a traumatic event occur to someone close to you. Symptoms of PTSD can also come up from repeated or extreme indirect exposure to traumatic events. For example, policeworkers, paramedics, other medical staff witnessing traumatic injury or death ongoingly due to the nature of their work. 

When people experience or witness a traumatic event or repeated events, they can sometimes develop symptoms of post-traumatic stress or meet the criteria for a diagnosis of Acute Stress Disorder, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex PTSD. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress may also arise when there is a threat that these events will happen, even if they do not actually end up happening.

Dependent on a psychologists training and background, our psychologists will work with you and tailor their approach drawing upon a variety of evidence based treatments.