Trauma is a word that often gets tossed around without a true understanding of what it means. This leads many people to hold simplistic or mistaken views of what trauma is and how it can affect people. At the office of Dr. Dames Campbell, LLC, we specialize in helping people heal from trauma, so we have put together this article to address some of the more pervasive myths about this topic.
- Myth #1: Trauma only results from life-threatening situations. Many people believe that in order for an experience to “count” as traumatic, their lives have to have been in danger or they have to have suffered from a serious physical injury. Psychologists, however, take a more nuanced view of trauma and what can cause it. For example, you can experience trauma from going through a divorce, either your own or your parents’. What seems like no big deal to one person can cause someone else serious emotional turmoil.
- Myth #2: You can deal with trauma by yourself if you’re strong enough. Another mistaken belief people have about trauma is that they should be able to work through it by themselves, and that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Not only is this not true but trying to “tough it out” all alone is likely to compound your stress and make your suffering worse. Asking for help from loved ones and seeking therapy, by contrast, can be a great help in your recovery.
- Myth #3: Trauma is forever. Lastly, while it’s easy to believe that a traumatic experience has destroyed your life forever, especially in the immediate aftermath, this is not true. It is absolutely possible to recover from trauma and make life enjoyable again, even if it takes a lot of adjustments and hard work.