Understanding Trauma: Definition, Types and Intelligent Function

We were born into a fragmented world. Trauma is part of our lives. We have all experienced it, in various forms and on different scales. The way we understand and deal with it has a huge influence on the quality of our lives and our impact in society, but also as society.

This article aims to clarify the definition of trauma, explain the difference between trauma and trauma, explore the different types of trauma, and emphasise that trauma is not a dysfunction but rather an intelligent and necessary response from our bodies. By demystifying these concepts, I aim to offer a more nuanced and caring perspective on this natural and universal reaction.

Etymology of the word trauma

The Greek etymology of the word ‘trauma’ means wound.

Definition of the word trauma

Trauma can be compared to a wound in the psyche. One part of this wound is raw and extremely sensitive, causing intense pain at the slightest touch. The other part of the wound is hard and rigid, like scar tissue. You feel nothing when you touch it. This rigid tissue is protective, but because it is hard, it can hinder growth and development.

Trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens to you as a result of what has happened to you. Trauma is the scar that makes you less flexible, more rigid, less sensitive and more defensive.

Dr Gabor Maté, PHD

The trauma of the past lives on in us now

Trauma is a fragmented part of our experience that is repeated over and over again. It is a part of us frozen in the past. Bessel Van Der Kolk 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 a past event, it is the present imprint of the pain, horror and fear that live inside people.’

Impact of stress

As Resmaa Menaken says, trauma can be both what is too much, what happened too soon, too fast, too long. And it can also be something that was missing when it should have been - like providing a secure and dignified environment for a child (whether young or old).

High levels of stress can overwhelm a person's ability to remain anchored in their experience. To protect itself, the nervous system disconnects or dissociates itself from the overwhelmed part. As a result, symptoms appear in the form of flight, fight or freeze reactions in the body.

When trauma is not quickly integrated after the triggering event, it remains stored in the nervous system and leads to lasting effects, affecting not only the individual but also culture, society and the world.

The difference between "trauma" and "traumatisme" in French

Anna Freud explains that a distinction must be made between the trauma that takes place in reality and the "traumatisme" that arises from the representation of this trauma.

In the psychological context, trauma refers to the upsetting event or experience that causes an emotional or psychological disturbance. For example, a car accident, an act of violence or a natural disaster can be considered traumas. These are specific and often sudden events that cause shock or psychological injury.

The term ‘traumatisme’ refers to the lasting and often complex psychological consequences of trauma. It is the prolonged impact that the traumatic event has on the individual. Symptoms such as anxiety, nightmares and flashbacks are manifestations of trauma. It may be the way in which the traumatic experience is integrated (or not integrated) into the person's psyche, affecting behaviour, emotions and relationships in the long term.

In a nutshell, in French, "trauma" refers to the disruptive event itself, while "traumatisme" refers to the prolonged effects and psychological responses resulting from this event.

It's not the event itself but its response in us

Thomas Hübl says: ‘Trauma is not the experience we have that is overwhelming, painful and overloading for our body, our nervous system, our emotional experience, our mental experience. But trauma describes the response that occurs within us in a traumatic situation.’

Trauma refers to a crystallised moment in our past, whether from our childhood, our ancestors, our culture or even the history of humanity. Anything that is not healed and integrated into our experience is repeated. It's like a part that remains frozen in time and can't be updated.

Identifying trauma

It's easier to identify the impact of a specific event - such as a road accident - rather than what we've always known and only known. We then have no other reference. This is what Dr Gabor Maté calls the myth of normality, in his reference book ‘The myth of normal’. What we're used to is not ‘normal’, it's what we've known so far - it's habitual. And it's not necessarily healthy. The first step towards integrating trauma is to become aware of this fixed and deleterious energy.

Different types of trauma

There are many ways of classifying trauma. Here are some of them:

Developmental trauma :

The attachment process is fragile. It requires sensitivity and thrives on relationships. If the child's essential needs are not met, this can cause great pain.

The resulting emotional and psychological wounds can have a profound influence on the individual's development, the way they perceive the world and their ability to form healthy relationships.

Intergenerational trauma:

The wound here refers to the baggage passed down from generation to generation. Our ancestors may have experienced absolutely devastating situations such as war, colonialism, genocide, systematic oppression or natural disasters. If the imprint of what they experienced cannot be dealt with, this baggage will be passed on to subsequent generations.

This can influence behaviour patterns, beliefs, emotions, stress levels and even the physiology of descendants. Evidence has been found that trauma can be transmitted between generations by epigenetic means. This means that trauma suffered by an ascendant, if not integrated, can affect the way genes are expressed.

Collective trauma:

We speak of collective trauma when the poignant situations mentioned above have not been dealt with by the collective memory. This can have a profound impact, affecting the architecture of society and weighing on entire generations. This dynamic is present in today's society.

We'll be talking more about these vast and crucial subjects in other articles, but for now let's return to the image of the injury:

The two parts of the wound

The wounded part is similar to what is activated in us by a trigger: when we carry traumas, a look, a word, an intonation can upset us. What we feel may seem disconnected from the present situation, but a trigger in the present has reactivated a pain from the past. The nervous system is permanently overloaded with unprocessed baggage from the past. It runs out of room and kicks into gear.

The rigid part of the injury is like the dissociation that can occur within us: we no longer feel anything. The ability to become numb and act on automatic pilot means that we can continue to function in a given situation without panicking. This is what makes it possible, for example, for someone to continue rescuing people in a war situation.

Trauma is not a dysfunction

Today, we often hear trauma spoken of in very negative terms, as something we should get rid of. Yet it's a highly intelligent and necessary process that has evolved over the course of human evolution: it can save our lives and the lives of those around us, and it saved the lives of our ancestors.

An intelligent and necessary function

Trauma is not a flaw or a weakness. It is a highly effective tool for safety and survival.

Resmaa Menakem

In moments of intense upheaval, we may separate part of our inner experience by shutting down, numbing out or dissociating in order to better survive. This separate part contains all the stress, emotional and physical pain - all the ‘too much’ that the body then had to protect itself from in order to survive.

The after-effects of this fragmentation

After the event or series of events, we carry the after-effects of this fragmentation within us. This fragmented part, which contains all the intensity of the stress and the physical and emotional pain, is still there. We then disconnect ourselves from our bodily awareness and our emotions, either by anaesthetising ourselves so as not to feel too much pain, or by withdrawing. This fragmented part is there, but it's silent. It screams, but without making a sound.

And both parts of the wound will find their way into our experience and be activated at triggering moments of unintegrated trauma: we may feel either disconnected, petrified, anaesthetised, or over-activated emotionally or in terms of our stress levels. Oscillating between being too numb or over-activated, we can't find the middle way to respond appropriately to the situation. We react on the basis of our unintegrated past.

Concluding remarks

In conclusion, although trauma is often perceived as a dysfunction, it is in fact an intelligent and necessary response by the body to stressful or upsetting events. By understanding trauma, we can better understand this natural reaction and recognise its crucial role in our survival and adaptation. By cultivating this understanding, we can approach trauma with more compassion and tailored strategies to promote long-term healing and well-being. We can nourish our curiosity.

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