What do you think of when you hear the word “trauma”? In medical speak, serious injury is often called “trauma,” such as head trauma from a car crash.

You’ve probably heard about different ways to know your personality better. There’s the Myers-Briggs test, the Enneagram, and so on. Maybe you haven’t heard of attachment styles, though.

Many people think that the word describes a situation in which a person really doesn’t care about something. However, this isn’t an accurate definition.

We like to think of memory as a camera, capturing snapshots perfectly from our lives. And we assume that if something big happens, we’ll remember it – like replaying a video tape.

“Trauma” is a word we use a lot on this site. Maybe you’re still wondering: “Have I experienced trauma before?” It’ll help to learn what trauma means.

What do you think of when you imagine talking through your trauma? Probably a sparse therapist office, with maybe a shelf of books and a couch. Everything is still as you discuss what happened. Right?