Understanding trauma
“Trauma” refers to the lasting adverse effects that can result when someone experiences events or circumstances as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening. These effects can influence a person’s mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.
This page offers plain-language information to help people understand what trauma is, common responses, and where to learn more.
What is trauma?
A brief definition
Trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced as harmful or life-threatening and has lasting adverse effects on functioning and well-being.
It’s about experience and effects
- Two people can live through the same event and be affected differently.
- Effects can be immediate or long-lasting and may change over time.
- Trauma can be individual, interpersonal, community-wide, or historical/collective.
Common ways trauma is discussed
Acute trauma
Results from a single distressing incident (for example, an accident, disaster, or assault). The experience is intense and can leave a person feeling shocked or unsafe.
Chronic trauma
Involves exposure to repeated or prolonged events (for example, ongoing abuse or violence). Symptoms can persist and sometimes intensify without support.
Complex trauma
Describes multiple, often invasive and interpersonal events, typically beginning in childhood, with wide-ranging and long-term effects.
Contexts you may hear about
- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
- Community or collective trauma (e.g., disasters, violence, displacement)
- Historical and identity-based trauma
Common responses
Feelings & body
Fear, sadness, anger, numbness, guilt, shame; headaches, fatigue, sleep changes, startle responses.
Thinking
Intrusive memories, nightmares, difficulty concentrating, persistent worry, beliefs about danger or blame.
Behavior
Avoiding reminders, withdrawing, irritability, risk-taking, changes in eating or substance use.
Not everyone reacts the same way. Many people improve with time and support; others benefit from professional help.
What a trauma-informed approach means
Organizations and communities can adopt a trauma-informed approach guided by widely used principles: safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment, voice, and choice; and cultural, historical, and gender considerations.
- Safety — physical and emotional safety.
- Trustworthiness & transparency — clear, consistent, and open communication.
- Peer support — connection with others who have related experiences.
- Collaboration & mutuality — shared decision-making and leveling power differences.
- Empowerment, voice, & choice — honoring strengths and offering meaningful options.
- Cultural, historical, & gender — responsiveness to identity, history, and context.
Learn more
External sites are provided for education only. This page is not a substitute for professional advice.