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What is trauma and adversity?
Every person has their own story to tell. Our experiences over the years, e.g. in childhood, in relationships, and within communities and systems, all add up to help make us who we are today. If we face adversity – experiences that are very stressful, upsetting, frightening, or difficult to cope with – it can have a lasting effect on us. We call this trauma.
When people talk about trauma, they are often thinking about major or catastrophic events like war, a natural disaster, or a car crash; rare events that are so difficult to cope with that they may result in symptoms that can be validated by a medical diagnosis such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
But we now know that trauma is extremely common and not limited to major events. In fact, for many people, trauma is more commonly experienced within relational interactions, such as experiences during childhood, in relationships, and at work.
External factors such as the way people have been treated by negative influences of power also play a role, such as experiences of racism, sexism and inequality.
Sometimes, it is easy to pin-point exactly when trauma arose, such as a break-up with a partner. But trauma can also arise from a series of ongoing events which build up and compound over time, such as bullying or domestic abuse. External factors which affect the way people experience and navigate the world also play a role, such as experiences of racism, sexism and inequality.
This means that trauma is different for everyone – an event that is traumatic for one person may not be for another. It also means that the ways people adapt and respond to challenges in their lives as a result of trauma are unique too.
Watch: What is trauma?
In the video below, Bessel van der Kolk, a psychiatrist and author who has spent decades researching trauma and post-traumatic stress, explains how trauma occurs, why trauma occurs, and how it can affect people's lives (trigger warning: mentions and imagery relating to war, child abuse and neglect, sexual abuse, domestic violence, and discrimination):
What causes trauma?
“[Trauma is] an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual wellbeing”
- The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
There's no criteria that defines what experiences can be traumatic, it's more about how an experience is interpreted and going on to affect you.
Most of us will go through events in life which are very stressful or frightening. Not all of these events will affect us long-term, but some we may feel the effects of for a long time even after the stressful events have stopped. An event may be traumatic because it makes you feel:
- Scared or frightened
- Humiliated
- Rejected or invalidated
- Stressed
- Threatened or unsafe
- Trapped
- Lonely, isolated or abandoned
- Ashamed
- Out of control or powerless
Trauma can arise from all kinds of situations, e.g.:
- One-off events, such as having an accident, getting hurt, or witnessing someone getting hurt.
- Ongoing events, such as bullying, witnessing or experiencing domestic abuse, and neglect.
Some people may be more likely to experience the negative influence of power and ‘collective’ trauma, for example, experiences of racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and inequality.
The important thing to remember is regardless of the causes, trauma is different for everyone. Even if two people have similar experiences, they will likely be affected in different ways, and both of their experiences are valid.
Is trauma a mental health problem?
We don't tend to refer to trauma as its own mental health 'condition' or 'problem'. Trauma is an adverse experience which can have an impact on our lives, e.g. the adaptations (such as protective behaviours) and thought processes we use to cope with challenges in our lives.
People show remarkable resilience in coping with adverse experiences in their lives, and some people feel their experiences are integral to their personal development and are able to grow beyond trauma.
However, trauma and mental health are closely linked because traumatic experiences often impact a person's sense of self. This often means that people with experiences of trauma and adversity can struggle with what society calls ‘mental health’ or seek help from mental health services. For example, bullying can be very traumatic and often goes on for a long time, increasing the trauma with each incident of bullying. Someone who has experienced bullying may feel the impact for years, e.g. anger or sadness about what happened, loneliness and difficulty trusting others, social anxiety, fear of rejection, and low self-esteem.
The impact of trauma can also have a effect on us physiologically, e.g. trouble sleeping and fatigue is common after trauma which can be very stressful when trying to manage things like family commitments, work, and social life. Some people may also use substances such as alcohol and drugs to cope with the impact of trauma as these substances or any type of substance, e.g. gambling, foster a sense a sense of connection.
From a PAT-informed perspective, when talking about trauma, we find it more helpful to focus on 'what has happened' to someone in the past rather than labelling 'what is wrong' with someone because:
- Going through trauma doesn't mean there is anything 'wrong' with you.
- There's no 'trauma blueprint': everyone is unique and has their own story to tell, so the impact of trauma is different for everyone.
So, understanding how someone's past experiences affect them can help us better understand the challenges they face now, and we can focus on rebuilding their resilience and strength.
Supporting people with trauma and adversity
Building trust and creating safe spaces where people can tell their stories is key to understanding the challenges they face and how we can support them. At Second Step, we are committed to becoming Psychological, Adversity and Trauma-informed (PAT). Visit our Becoming PAT-informed page to read more about our PAT strategy.
Trauma and relationships
Relationships really matter. The trauma and adversity we are talking about can often happen within relationships. When people display complex ways of surviving, it is likely this is because of adversity experienced in their childhood and/ or throughout their lifetime. What’s more, it is known that there is a strong link between adverse childhood experiences and poor physical and mental health across the lifespan.
However, relationships are also a vehicle for healing. Relational trauma requires relational repair. What is certain is that every interaction has the potential to be meaningful and make a difference.
At Second Step, we are guided by the process of relational safety, in how we interact with people using our services, and each other within the organisation. This means making sure that people feel safe, heard and validated in a relationship with another person or group, and that we respond to challenges reflectively. It includes elements of trust, choice, transparency and focusing on people's strengths. Doing so allows us to build strong relationships through which people can thrive, learn, adapt and grow.
Trauma and racism
As part of our work to becoming Psychological, Adversity and Trauma-informed, we are actively taking steps to address racism within the organisation and understand experiences of racial trauma. We have pledged to make Second Step a safe space to work where everyone can thrive.
Read more about our Addressing Racism work on our Celebrating Diversity page.
Find out more about becoming Psychological, Adversity and Trauma (PAT) informed
At Second Step, we have always been committed to Psychological, Adversity and Trauma-informed ways of working, and are proud to be leading the way as organisations across the country also start to shift to a PAT approach.
Understanding and working to overcome multiple and severe disadvantage has always been at the core of what we do. Our organisation was founded to support people into housing after leaving hospital because we recognised people were staying in hospital longer than needed because they had no home to return to. We understood how this lack of security and a safe place to call home impacted on their recovery.
PAT-informed thinking is therefore woven through our ethos, mission and values, from our approach to building trust with our clients, to embracing collaborative partnerships with other organisations, to celebrating diversity through our commitment to our Addressing Racism strategy.
To discuss Second Step's PAT work or for any other PAT-related queries, please contact Jo Davies, Head of Psychology at Second Step:
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