“Certain events can alter a person’s biological, psychological, and social equilibrium to such a degree that the memory of it can dominate all other experiences, spoiling an appreciation of the present moment.” ~ Peter Levine, leading trauma psychologist.
Traumatic experiences are diverse. It is thus unjust to limit the definition of trauma. Experts suggest that understanding trauma requires a broad and inclusive perspective. Having said that, undergoing trauma or having been traumatized is a genuine, rather common human experience, it is a natural response of your body to anything painful.
Gabor Maté, a renowned expert on addiction and trauma, explains that trauma is not what happens to you but what happens inside of you. Trauma is thus inclusive of all the changes that occur in response to pain, which is a subjective experience involving sensory, emotional, and cognitive components. It can be anything that fractures our sense of being.
We have all faced tough times or witnessed pain closely. When we are adapting to respond to pain in the best way possible, our mind and bodies can hold onto these experiences as physical memories or mental pain. Often, we force these feelings away, believing we have moved on because it seems the ideal thing to do.
Responding the best way possible to trauma and suffering is often understood as a way of growing stronger out of a tragedy. This strength however is never measured in terms of becoming better at identifying and regulating the very human emotions. And it is a mental health failure when we try to keep awareness of trauma away from us.
Learning about trauma will make you aware of how we have all been through some form of trauma. If not personal, then shared trauma! In a world where being anything is difficult – being a woman, being a man, being a trans, belonging to a broken family, being financially weak, belonging to a particular religion, belonging to a caste, having a certain body type, having a certain skin color and so on.
It is difficult to place your trauma in the context of an unaccepting environment. Imagine feeling so many emotions but having to pretend that you feel fine when you feel so much worse. It also makes us lose our ability to pay attention to what we are genuinely feeling!
