What Is Trauma?
Trauma is the lasting emotional response that often results from living through an emotinoally distressing or life-threatening event. Experiencing a traumatic event can harm a person's sense of safety, sense of self, and ability to regulate emotions and navigate relationships.
Many people who experience trauma notice an increase in anxiety and panic attacks, fear, anger, irritability, obsessions and compulsions, shock and disbelief, emotional numbing and detachment, depression, difficulty trusting, shame and guilt. Trauma can make you more vulnerable to developing mental health problems. With effective treatment implemented by a trained professional, trauma symptoms can become well managed and no longer impact your life.
The following list consists of some of the most common types of traumas:
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Physical Abuse
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Sexual Abuse
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Domestic Violence
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Emotional/Verbal Abuse
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Victim of Bullying
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Surviving a Natural Disaster
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Racial Trauma, or Race-Based Trauma
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Victim of a Crime, such as assault, robbery, burglary, kidnapping, abduction
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Mass Shooting
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School Shooting/School Violence
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Medical Trauma
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Traumatic Loss
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Witnessing Another Individual's Trauma