What is Trauma?

Trauma can be any experience that overwhelms our mind’s capacity to cope. This occurs any time the nervous system experiences something that is too big, too fast, too soon, too hurtful or too little for too long. It can be something that we observe or something that happens to us directly. These experiences cause additional stress to the body.

Stress is a natural and often a helpful feeling preparing our bodies for new or challenging experiences. However, there is a type of toxic stress, which occurs when the body experiences intense or prolonged stress like experiencing an accident, physical or sexual abuse, violence, neglect or a natural disaster. Interestingly, everyone reacts to these experiences differently. We know that young children’s brains are less equipped to process and work through these stressful events, and frequently their struggles are shown through their behaviors. Some children become more disruptive and demanding while others may withdraw from the world.