What is Trauma? Part II: Beyond the Event

In Part I, we explored what trauma is and how it can arise from both overwhelming events and repeated, subtle wounds. But trauma isn’t just about what happened. It’s also about how our brain and body respond in the aftermath.

Trauma as a Nervous System Experience

Trauma is less about the event itself and more about the lasting imprint it leaves on the body, especially the nervous system. Two people can live through the same experience, like a natural disaster,  and walk away with very different outcomes. One may recover quickly from the event, while another may feel jumpy, anxious, or emotionally numb for months or years. This difference isn’t about individual weaknesses. It’s about how our body (including our brain!) processes overwhelming stress.

Common Trauma Responses

When someone experiences stress, the body’s alarm system, the fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response, gets activated. Sometimes, that system has trouble resetting after the event is in the past. This can look like:

• Feeling constantly on edge or “keyed up”
  
• Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up
  
• Sudden emotional reactions that feel out of proportion
  
• Numbness, disconnection, or a sense of “shutting down”
  
• Re-experiencing through flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts

These are survival responses that once helped the body stay safe during the event.

The Role of Relationships

Trauma often occurs in isolation, though healing rarely does. Safe, supportive relationships, whether with friends, partners, communities, or therapists, are a powerful part of recovery. When we can share our story in a space where we feel seen and understood, the brain begins to integrate what happened in a way that’s less overwhelming.

Trauma and the Body

Physician and author Gabor Maté reminds us that the event itself does not define trauma, but by the wound it leaves within us. He emphasizes that trauma often lives in the body, shaping how we experience stress, emotions, and even physical health. This helps explain why trauma can show up as chronic tension, fatigue, or health struggles long after the event is over.

Moving Forward

Understanding trauma is the first step in loosening its grip. We can think of healing from trauma as not “getting rid” of the memories that come up, but finding ways to live fully in the present, to reconnect to safety, and reclaim your sense of self. 

Here’s Part I of “What is Trauma?”, just in case you missed it.