What is Trauma: Understanding the T-word

TW: Article contains references to abuse, neglect.

This article has nothing to do with classrooms and learning and teaching. It talks about something that people usually hesitate to talk about. Trauma.

The word ‘trauma’ carries a lot of baggage. I’ve been met with silences as I have used the word in conversations and thereafter I have found myself trying to avoid using it and replace it with something that feels more goody-goody and less threatening. These silences can be a communication that we are unwilling and unprepared to deal with what the word represents. But, for some, the word has a vague meaning (something big and bad) that they would prefer not knowing. A friend of mine once said to me, “I’ve never wanted to find out what it means because I don’t relate to it in any way. It can’t be associated with my life. I don’t want to know more about it.” There are others who feel this way too.

We’re going to talk about it in this article. If at any point you feel overwhelmed, please feel free to stop reading and hold space for your emotions.

The Old Understanding

Most people, including mental health professionals, understand trauma as the result of a dire, life-altering event, like severe abuse, neglect, and/or loss. It is expected that a clear divide between the before and after of the event.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the national public health agency of the USA, has created a test called “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)” which helps mental health professionals to assess the level of trauma in their client’s lives. This contains 10 questions that cover different types of traumatic events that a person may have experienced in their childhood. There is one point for every “Yes” to a question. Research suggests that higher scores on this questionnaire, indicate higher chances of negative life outcomes including substance abuse, suicide, and increased risk of developing chronic illnesses.

The image below shows the ten indicators of trauma on the ACEs test.

This, however, is a very narrow understanding of trauma and it failed to explain why many people, who score 0s and 1s on the ACEs test experience severe, negative life outcomes. Experiencing anxiety, depression, lack of confidence, low self-worth, and problematic relationship patterns have been common in people with very low ACEs scores.

The New Theory

The truth is that many people can’t point out singular (or multiple) specific events that impacted their lives drastically. That doesn’t indicate an absence of trauma. In fact, it is hard to find someone who has not experienced any kind of childhood trauma.

A newer understanding of trauma defines it as an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening, overwhelms the person’s ability to cope and has lasting adverse effects on the person’s mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.

Apart from one-time incidents such as an accident, a natural disaster, the loss of a parent or peer, experiences that are chronic or even generational, such as abuse, neglect, bullying and cumulative impact of poverty and discrimination also create trauma. Whether an event or circumstance is “traumatic” depends on the person’s experience of the event. One cannot say that a particular situation — witnessing violence or moving cities, for example — is always traumatic for everyone. Whether an event is experienced as traumatic is influenced by many factors, including internal coping resources, external supports, and the broader community, cultural, and societal factors that shape how you understand and respond to your experiences.

Ritesh’s family moved from Shimla to Delhi when he was 9 years old. He was sad about leaving behind his friends and teachers at his school. His parents anticipated that this transition would be hard on him and spent time talking to him about his feelings. They validated his feelings and planned together about how he would keep in touch with his old friends and how he will make new friends in Delhi. The teachers at his new school ensured that he felt welcomed at the new school. With the support of his parents and teachers, Ritesh responded to this transition positively.

Pawan, on the other hand, had a nightmare of an experience. When he moved to a new school, his parents were too busy with the move to consider his feelings. They did not have time to listen to his concerns. The teachers in the new school couldn't care less. He was picked on and bullied by other students. He felt hurt and helpless, but he had learnt that adults around him didn’t have enough time to listen to his troubles. He started getting into violent fights frequently.

The events in Ritesh’s and Pawan’s lives were of similar nature, however, other factors such as the support of parents and teachers made all the difference for them. This is applicable to all of our lives. Events that might seem insignificant or routine to others could have played a significant role in shaping our lives. A situation may be determined to be highly traumatic by one person, and only moderately disturbing to another. The more frightened and helpless you feel, the more likely you are to be traumatized.

Dr. Nicole LePera in her book “How to do the Work” talks about how having our needs denied and repressed also creates a traumatic experience. She writes, “Our perception of the trauma is just as valid as the trauma itself. This is especially true in childhood when we are most helpless and dependent. Trauma occurred when we consistently betrayed ourselves for love, were consistently treated in a way that made us feel unworthy or unacceptable resulting in a severed connection to our authentic Self.”

Effects of Trauma

Prolonged exposure to trauma can lead to traumatic stress which can manifest in the following forms:

• Hypervigilance: looking out for danger, trouble sleeping, easily startled, angry outbursts
• Avoidance: of certain spaces, thoughts, people, or objects
• Reliving: nightmares, flashbacks, and triggers
• Dissociation: feeling disconnected from the body and/or amnesia
• Feelings of shame and problems with mood
• Difficulty regulating emotions: feeling “out of control” when experiencing strong emotions
• Trouble remembering large parts of personal history
• Low self-worth, chronic feelings of shame or guilt, and negative self-talk
• Not feeling a sense of self, or sense of self is dependent on another person
• Trauma bonding, which is a strong attachment between an abused person and their abuser formed as a result of the cycle of abuse
• Emotional numbing
• Self-harming
• Addictions

The Potential to Change

Everyone carries unresolved trauma. And everyone carries the potential to heal from trauma. It is nothing to be scared of and certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Recovery from trauma involves the ability to successfully live in the present without being overwhelmed by thoughts and feelings from the past. It does not mean that one would have no memories or feelings associated with the traumatic event(s), but rather it involves placing the event behind you so that the event is no longer in control of your emotions or your life. Trauma recovery should be considered to be a process that is worked through over time.

At Heal The Classroom, we work with educators to create safe and supportive learning environments, which helps in mitigating the impact of trauma and supports recovery.

Reach out at hello@heal.the.classroom.