About Trauma

It is a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time. Some types of traumatic events involves experiencing a serious injury to yourself or witnessing a serious injury to or the death of someone else, facing imminent threats of serious injury or death to yourself or others, or experiencing a violation of personal physical integrity.

Experiencing traumatic events can lead to a person developing simple or complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Recent acute traumatic events or past single traumatic events are most likely to lead to simple PTSD. Long-term chronic abuse including sexual abuse can lead to complex PTSD. Complex PTSD is more difficult to treat and can involve more complex, psychosocial factors that affect a person’s ability to form healthy, trusting relationships.