Trauma is a complex and highly individual experience. When something traumatic happens to us, or we witness something terrifying, our nervous system gets hijacked; it's working as intended in the moment. We go into fight, flight, freeze or fawn so that we can survive. But sometimes, long after the threat leaves us, we continue to feel unsafe. We get locked into a life that feels more like surviving than living.

 

Trauma can look like constant anxiety, discomfort, and uncertainty. It feels like a constant looming shadow waiting to rear its ugly head. It can look like difficulties setting boundaries, difficulties trusting yourself and others, or feeling overly responsible for how others are feeling. It leaves you feeling isolated, confused, and dissociated. You're reacting to things in ways you can't understand or grasp, like your sense of self has splintered off.