What is trauma and adversity?

Every person has their own story to tell. Our experiences over the years, e.g. in childhood, in relationships, and within communities and systems, all add up to help make us who we are today. If we face adversity – experiences that are very stressful, upsetting, frightening, or difficult to cope with – it can have a lasting effect on us. We call this trauma.

When people talk about trauma, they are often thinking about major or catastrophic events like war, a natural disaster, or a car crash; rare events that are so difficult to cope with that they may result in symptoms that can be validated by a medical diagnosis such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

But we now know that trauma is extremely common and not limited to major events. In fact, for many people, trauma is more commonly experienced within relational interactions, such as experiences during childhood, in relationships, and at work.

External factors such as the way people have been treated by negative influences of power also play a role, such as experiences of racism, sexism and inequality.

Sometimes, it is easy to pin-point exactly when trauma arose, such as a break-up with a partner. But trauma can also arise from a series of ongoing events which build up and compound over time, such as bullying or domestic abuse. External factors which affect the way people experience and navigate the world also play a role, such as experiences of racism, sexism and inequality.

This means that trauma is different for everyone – an event that is traumatic for one person may not be for another. It also means that the ways people adapt and respond to challenges in their lives as a result of trauma are unique too.