Trauma and PTSD don’t just affect our thoughts—they alter our very being. They change the way we feel, think, and act. Trauma should be understood as something that happened in the past—a sudden, overwhelming event where the emotional capacity of your system was completely overloaded. It’s a shock to the body and mind, so powerful that it leaves you speechless, with no words to explain the horror you’ve been through. It’s as if your own mind erases the language of that pain to protect you.

These intense sensations we experience during the traumatic event return as feelings in our bodies. When trauma isn’t treated, it comes back again and again in the form of nightmares, flashbacks, and intrusive memories, triggered by sights, sounds, touches, or even the faintest thought. Trauma changes the physical structure of our brain—it’s like seeing the world through distorted glasses, where reality is overlaid with fear and pain.

And it happens over and over, every time something even slightly reminds us of the original trauma. Yet, there’s hope: around 80% of simple trauma cases are treatable. But the reality is that most trauma in the world is not simple. It’s complex, layered, and deeply ingrained.


The Imprint of the Past: Understanding Trauma

Trauma is the imprint of past experiences—those terrifying moments that couldn’t be integrated into your existing reality. It’s like a wound that can’t be put into words. Trauma is not a story; it’s a reliving of the moment, often in flashes that take over your senses, leaving you trapped in a fragment of time.
When I finally realized that I was carrying this trauma and decided to confront it, I discovered how deeply it had stolen my sense of joy, laughter, humour, pleasure, and engagement. Trauma robs you of the inner safety that makes those experiences possible. It takes away the sense of being “at home” in your own soul, body, and mind.


Questions to Reflect On:

Does it feel like an all-or-nothing experience?
Do you find yourself constantly on edge—either explosive or tightly wound?
How does your body feel right now? Where do you relive the pain?
Do you struggle to find joy or comfort in the things that used to bring you happiness?