What is trauma?

Trauma is a complex and multifaceted experience that permeates various aspects of human life, leading to the emergence of numerous fields of study dedicated to understanding its nature, impact, and treatment. These diverse disciplines offer unique perspectives and insights into the complexities of trauma, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of its effects on individuals and societies. Some of the key areas of study related to trauma include:

• Psychology: Psychology explores the psychological mechanisms underlying trauma, including its effects on cognition, emotion, and behavior. This field investigates factors such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), resilience, coping strategies, and the neurobiological basis of trauma.^[1]
• Psychiatry: Psychiatry focuses on the diagnosis, treatment, and management of mental health disorders, including trauma-related conditions such as PTSD, acute stress disorder, and complex PTSD. Psychiatrists employ various therapeutic approaches, including medication and psychotherapy, to address trauma-related symptoms.^[2]
• Neuroscience: Neuroscience investigates the neural mechanisms involved in the experience and processing of trauma. This field explores how traumatic experiences impact brain structure and function, leading to alterations in neurobiology, neurotransmitter systems, and neural circuits associated with stress and emotional regulation.^[3]
• Neurobiology: When an individual undergoes a traumatic incident or encounters intense fear, the chemistry of the brain undergoes alteration, leading to a shift in its functioning. Referred to as the “Fear Circuitry,” this phenomenon serves as a protective mechanism inherent in all of us. Understanding the neurobiology of trauma, essentially the impact of trauma on the brain, is crucial. It dismantles prevalent misconceptions and unjust victim-blaming regarding gender-based violence, empowering survivors to perceive their experiences and the ensuing aftermath from a fresh perspective.^[4]
• Social Work: Social work addresses the social, cultural, and environmental factors that contribute to trauma and its aftermath. Social workers provide support, advocacy, and resources to individuals and communities affected by trauma, working to address systemic barriers to healing and recovery.
• Trauma Studies: Trauma Studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines trauma from multiple perspectives, integrating insights from psychology, sociology, anthropology, history, literature, and other disciplines. This field explores the nature of trauma, its causes and consequences, and the ways in which individuals and societies respond to and recover from traumatic experiences.

These diverse disciplines collaborate to form a multifaceted comprehension of trauma and its repercussions on individuals and societies, underscoring the intricate, interdisciplinary essence of research and practice in the field of trauma.

Defining Trauma

Trauma refers to any distressing event or experience that can profoundly affect an individual’s ability to cope and function. It encompasses a wide range of occurrences that can cause emotional, physical, and psychological harm. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes individual trauma as an “event, series of events, or set of circumstances experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life- threatening with lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well- being.”^[5] Some experts distinguish trauma from stress based on whether it is retained in the body: trauma is stored in the body, whereas stress, although felt physically, may not be permanently held within the body.^[6][7] There exist various definitions of trauma, and here are some articulated by leading scholars in the field:

• Cathy Caruth, PhD^[8] defines trauma generally as “the response to an unexpected or overwhelming violent event or events that are not fully grasped as they occur, but return later in repeated flashbacks, nightmares, and other repetitive phenomena.” Caruth’s work emphasizes the inherent incomprehensibility of trauma, viewing it as a crisis of meaning stemming from overwhelming events that defy integration into existing cognitive and emotional frameworks. Caruth also introduced the concept of “delayed responses” to trauma, suggesting that traumatic events often lead to delayed reactions, with individuals failing to fully process the experience at the time of occurrence. Instead, the impact of trauma may manifest later in unexpected ways.
• Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, SEP^[9], defines trauma as, “When something happens to the body that is too much, too fast, or too soon, it overwhelms the body and can create trauma.” He also states that “trauma is a wordless story our body tells itself about what is safe and what is a threat. Our rational brain can’t stop it from occurring, and it can’t talk our body out of it. Something in the here and now is rekindling old pain or discomfort, and the body tries to address it with the reflexive energy that’s still stuck inside the nervous system.”
• Bessel Van Der Kolk, MD^[10] defines trauma as “An event that overwhelms the central nervous system, altering the way we process and recall memories. Trauma is not the story of something that happened back then, it’s the current imprint of that pain, horror, and fear living inside people.”
• Peter Levine, PhD^[11] and creator of Somatic Therapy says, “A trauma is defined by a shocking or a dangerous event that you see or experience.” He also states, “Trauma is experiencing fear in the face of helplessness. Fear plus helplessness equals trauma.” However, he also states that the nervous system cannot discriminate between trauma and simply being overwhelmed.

Common symptoms of trauma:

Leading trauma scientist, Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD, states, “When an adverse experience becomes traumatic, the brain heavily weighs and anticipates that experience in its future predictions. This ongoing prediction and re-experiencing of the traumatic event strengthens the neural connections associated with it, making the predictions more likely to occur in the future.”^[12] When we experience trauma, our brain chemistry changes, thereby changing how we think, act, and feel.^[13][14] These are some common symptoms of trauma:^[15][16][17]

Cognitive: intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, nightmares, poor executive functioning, disorientation, confusion, mood swings

Behavioral: avoidance of activities or places, social isolation and withdrawal, lack of interest in previously enjoyable activities, panic attacks

Psychological: overwhelming fear, obsessive and compulsive behaviors, detachment from other people and emotions, emotional numbing, depression, guilt, shame, emotional shock and disbelief, irritability and anger, anxiety

Physical: easily startled, extreme fatigue and exhaustion, tachycardia (fast heart rate), edginess, insomnia, muscle tension, changes in sleeping and eating patterns, vague complaints of aches and pains throughout the body, hypervigilance (extreme alertness)

Types of trauma

Acute trauma

Acute trauma refers to a psychological response triggered by a singular, intensely distressing incident. This type of trauma arises from events such as natural disasters, severe car accidents, or exposure to violence, and can precipitate long-term mental health challenges if left unaddressed. Instances of acute trauma encompass scenarios where an individual’s life or safety is directly threatened or when they witness traumatic events affecting others. Such experiences may culminate in acute stress disorder (ASD), a mental health condition typically manifesting within three days of the traumatic event and enduring for up to one month.^[18][19][20]

Chronic trauma

Chronic trauma refers to repeated or prolonged exposure to traumatic events or situations over an extended period. Unlike acute trauma, which arises from a single distressing incident, chronic trauma results from ongoing stressors or experiences that continue over time. This prolonged exposure to trauma can lead to lasting psychological, emotional, and physical consequences, often manifesting in symptoms such as anxiety, depression, PTSD, and difficulties in coping with daily life. Here are some examples of how you can develop chronic trauma:^[21][22][23]

• Physical abuse
• Sexual abuse
• Emotional abuse
• Intimate partner violence
• Poverty

Complex trauma

Complex trauma occurs when someone experiences multiple, chronic, prolonged, and interconnected traumatized events within interpersonal relationships that repeat or persist over time, challenging or impossible to evade, and are concealed, suppressed, or denied. It encompasses enduring and recurring experiences that can develop in both children and adults, leading to difficulties to cope with everyday life.^[24]

Racial trauma

Racial trauma, also known as race-based traumatic stress, encompasses the mental and emotional harm inflicted by encounters with racial bias, ethnic discrimination, racism, and hate crimes. Any individual subjected to emotionally distressing, sudden, and uncontrollable racist incidents is susceptible to experiencing race-based traumatic stress injury. In the United States, Black, Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) are particularly vulnerable due to pervasive white supremacist structures.^[25][26]

The effects of race-based discrimination can profoundly impact individuals and their broader communities. Prolonged exposure to racism can precipitate symptoms akin to those observed in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in some individuals. These symptoms may include depression, anger, intrusive thoughts of the event, physical manifestations (e.g., headaches, chest pains, insomnia), hypervigilance, diminished self-worth, and psychological disengagement from the traumatic experiences. The presentation of symptoms can vary across different cultural groups. Importantly, RBTS differs from PTSD in that it is not classified as a mental health disorder but rather as a mental injury resulting from systemic racism or experiences of racism.^[27]

Generational trauma

Generational trauma refers to the lasting impact of traumatic events on subsequent generations. It revolves around the transmission of trauma and its profound effects on individuals within a community or family unit over time. These effects can manifest psychologically and emotionally, presenting significant challenges for future generations.^[28]

Families or communities with trauma survivors who have endured oppression, racism, discrimination, or violence often exhibit generational trauma. This phenomenon has real and devastating consequences for individuals and their families. While mental and emotional struggles may be disregarded by those who have not experienced them directly, documented experiences and scientific research confirm the enduring repercussions of trauma across generations. It is believed that trauma can lead to epigenetic changes, altering a person’s DNA and passing down the effects of trauma to subsequent generations. While DNA itself does not retain memories, these inherited changes can persist, akin to scars left by a past injury on a growing tree.^[29][30]

The legacy of trauma can be culturally inherited. Unhealthy behaviors learned from previous generations may be perpetuated and passed down through family lines, contributing to the cycle of generational trauma. This trauma is often triggered by extreme events, abuse, or prolonged periods of adversity, including domestic violence, oppression, war, religious persecution, natural disasters, genocide, and slavery.^[31]

Historical trauma

Historical trauma refers to the accumulated, intergenerational, and communal experience of emotional and psychological wounds within communities and their descendants.^[32] The enduring legacies of genocide, slavery, forced relocation, and the obliteration of cultural practices have inflicted profound emotional and psychological wounds on communities, echoing across generations.^{[33][34][35][36]} Termed historical trauma by researchers and practitioners, these shared experiences leave an indelible mark on the descendants of those affected. Consequently, individuals within these communities often grapple with elevated rates of mental and physical illness, substance abuse, and the erosion of familial and communal bonds. This persistent cycle of trauma not only fractures families and communities but also jeopardizes the vitality of entire cultures. Historical trauma transcends mere historical events; it persists in the present, shaping the ongoing experiences of affected communities.

Generational trauma and historical trauma are related concepts but are not exactly the same. Generational trauma refers specifically to the transmission of trauma from one generation to the next within families or communities. It focuses on how the effects of trauma experienced by one generation influence subsequent generations’ well-being. On the other hand, historical trauma refers to the cumulative emotional and psychological wounds experienced by a specific group of people due to significant historical events or injustices. These events, such as genocide, slavery, colonization, or forced displacement, have long-lasting effects on the affected communities and can impact their collective psyche and well-being across generations.

While generational trauma often results from historical trauma, it can also stem from other sources of intergenerational trauma within families or communities. Therefore, while there is overlap between the two concepts, historical trauma tends to encompass broader societal or historical events, while generational trauma focuses more on the intergenerational transmission of trauma within specific groups or families.

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events or circumstances that occur before the age of 17 and can include various forms of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction such as physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, emotional or physical neglect, parental substance abuse, mental illness, domestic violence, parental separation or divorce, and incarceration of a household member (to name a few).^[37] ACEs, compounded by social determinants of health like residing in marginalized or racially segregated neighborhoods, can induce toxic stress—a sustained and overwhelming form of stress. This toxic stress stemming from ACEs can impede children’s neurological development, weaken their immune and stress-response systems, and impair their cognitive faculties, decision-making abilities, and learning capacities.^{[38][39][40][41][42]}

Toxic stress response arises when a child faces intense, frequent, or prolonged adversity, such as physical or emotional abuse, chronic neglect, caregiver substance abuse or mental illness, exposure to violence, or family economic hardship, without sufficient adult support. This sustained activation of stress response systems can disrupt the development of brain architecture and other bodily systems, increasing the risk of stress-related diseases and cognitive impairments throughout adulthood. Continual exposure to toxic stress response, particularly from multiple sources, exacts a cumulative toll on an individual’s physical and mental well-being over their lifetime. The greater the number of adverse childhood experiences, the higher the likelihood of developmental delays and later health issues, including heart disease, diabetes, substance abuse, and depression. Research suggests that nurturing, responsive relationships with caring adults in early life can mitigate or reverse the harmful effects of toxic stress response.^{[43][44][45][46]}

Bessel van der Kolk on trauma^[47][48]

Trauma comes in many forms and can be experienced by individuals of all ages and backgrounds. It encompasses a wide range of experiences, including but not limited to physical, emotional, or psychological abuse, neglect, violence, loss, and displacement. Trauma can have lasting effects on a person’s mental, emotional, and physical well-being, influencing how they interact with the world around them. Trauma is not merely an injury that can be healed with time or redress. When triggered, individuals undergo a profound emotional and physical re-encounter with past traumas, leading to a loss of control and dissociation from their body and mind. This state goes beyond mere discomfort; it’s a form of disability that significantly affects one’s ability to function in the present moment.

In moments of triggering, individuals struggle to navigate their body and mind, all while existing in a world that frequently dismisses their experiences. It’s crucial to recognize and validate these experiences, fostering a more compassionate and inclusive understanding of trauma and its effects. Bessel van der Kolk emphasizes the pervasiveness of trauma in society, stating that it is so prevalent that if one hasn’t seen it, they simply haven’t looked. Trauma manifests in various ways, such as explosive outbursts, withdrawal, or difficulty in relationships. Van der Kolk, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist, highlights the importance of understanding trauma and its effects, challenging the traditional view of mental health that seeks to “fix” individuals rather than addressing underlying trauma.

He recounts his experiences working with Vietnam veterans, noting their struggles with emotional detachment, difficulty in relationships, and hypervigilance. Through research and clinical work, van der Kolk and his colleagues soon realized that trauma is not confined to combat situations but is widespread, affecting individuals from all walks of life. Trauma, van der Kolk explains, triggers automatic responses in the brain’s primitive regions, leading to hyperreactivity to stressors and an inability to feel safe in the present moment. Treating trauma involves creating a sense of safety and allowing individuals to process their experiences without judgment. He underscores the importance of acknowledging the impact of adverse life circumstances, such as poverty and racism, in shaping individuals’ responses to trauma.

Ultimately, van der Kolk advocates for a compassionate approach to healing, emphasizing the need for society to recognize and address trauma to help individuals fully integrate into society. He believes that by understanding trauma and providing appropriate support, individuals can overcome their past and lead fulfilling lives.

How is this relevant to librarianship?