Trauma causes more than just an emotional wound. It is an experience that changes how the brain processes information, manages stress, and interacts with the world. When someone experiences trauma, the brain does not simply move on. Instead, it adapts for survival. These adaptations can be protective in the moment but often lead to long-term emotional and physical consequences.
Trauma doesn't look the same for everyone. Some people experience a single devastating event. Others endure trauma that stretches across months or years. Both types leave their mark, but they may affect you differently.
Complex trauma happens when harmful or unsafe experiences occur repeatedly over time, often starting in childhood. Instead of one clear moment, it is a pattern. Common causes include ongoing abuse, neglect, domestic violence, alcoholism, or growing up in a chronically unstable environment. Because it happens during critical developmental years, complex trauma shapes how people see themselves, others, and the world.
