Many people think the word “trauma” is used to describe any intensely shocking or injurious experience, or perhaps a series of such experiences. Typical traumatic events that might come to mind include violent crime, physical assault, physical abuse, serious mishaps such as vehicle crashes, or disasters like house fires, earthquakes, or floods. To be sure, such occurrences can be traumatic. However, there are many other, more-subtle forms of trauma that are just as devastating.

So, let’s begin by defining the word trauma in a more useful way. In terms of clinical mental health, trauma occurs when a person experiences something that overwhelms their ordinary coping mechanisms and forces them into utilizing or developing maladaptive coping strategies. When trauma is considered in these terms, it’s clear that an event or condition need not consist of physical violence, physical pain, or a single catastrophe. Trauma is simply a set of conditions that are too far outside the realm of an individual’s typical experience to deal with. This implies that an event that may not be traumatic for one person may cause excessive and extended suffering for another.

Examples of trauma that may not immediately come to mind include emotional abuse, hostile environments (workplace or household), separation from loved ones (due to divorce, death, incarceration, etc.), and severe uncertainty (a lack of food, shelter, and other necessities).

Reactions to trauma vary by individual but can be physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioral, or all of these. These commonly include depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. The mental-health aftermath of experiencing trauma can take many forms, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in which a person may suffer from “flashbacks,” outbursts, and even nightmares that center around the traumatic event or conditions.

Unfortunately, these post-trauma symptoms may be inadvertently triggered by seemingly innocuous and unrelated settings, speech, and other conditions, which re-traumatize the individual and may prevent the individual from adopting healthy forms of coping and recovery.

The objective of trauma-informed care is to create environments and services that do not unintentionally trigger or re-traumatize individuals. With trauma-informed training, service providers, volunteers, and other staff learn what trauma is, how it affects people, and how to be sensitive to those who have suffered trauma. Trauma-informed care can be applied in virtually all areas--from the classroom to the workplace to healthcare and clinical settings.

The benefits of trauma-informed care are many. It can improve mental health outcomes; reduce substance abuse rates, lower incarceration rates, improve school performance, boost employment rates, and improve social functioning, to name only a few possibilities. Perhaps best of all, however, is that individuals who may not even understand their trauma and their reactions can be assisted in ways they critically require.

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