The Author's Corner: Trauma

What is trauma? A question that has many answers for it. For some people it is living through an accident, others it could be the bullying one endured in school. Yet, this is only two of the many possibilities. It really comes down to the person who goes through the trauma.

In this thought of trauma, there are things we need to know. One of them is the time and place that the trauma occurred. In the armed forces it can happen in the field of combat. They themselves are exposed to the possibility of death at any second. A good number of them on returning to their home country and to a normal life after their service suffer from PTSD.

Then there are the first responders who are called to help those in need. This covers from domestic responses to scenes of traffic accidents and fighting fires. These people are the unseen hero’s that are there when we need help. These people see the horror of civil life, and some do suffer from all types of problems because of these situations. Do we see their trauma?

As we get deeper into trauma, ask yourself what has caused trauma in your life? Did you lose a job, it is always something that causes trauma as you lose your source of income. Did you witness or be involved in a bad traffic accident where if you would have been a minute sooner you could have lost you life? Did you experience bullying? Did you get robbed at gun point? Think back on your life and realize that we all go through trauma.

Looking back on my own life, there have been times when the trauma has come from almost dying to being robbed to being bullied for ten years in school. I sit here in 2025 that I am at the twenty-year mark of almost loosing my life because of my mental health problem. Do I have problems? I do; however, I think that we all do, and those problems have led to all the types of traumas that have come into our lives.

It takes a strong person to stand up and admit that they have had problems with trauma in their life. In most cases a counselor gets involved as the person goes to get help to move on with their life. Today we woke up, so enjoy another day alive because it is not a guarantee to wake up.

Stay safe.