I get that there’s been a surge of more & more folks learning abt trauma – & the havoc it wreaks on the body. And I get that bc of that, more & more folks are posting abt their own experiences & how events have caused them trauma.
Why? We’re human beings always looking for answers. People (on a global scale) have not been feeling well lately + we ALL have been through challenging life events + those challenging life events have impacted STRUCTURES in our bodies (from the vagus nerve to the amygdala to the gut, etc).
This explanation gives us ANSWERS as to why we’re not feeling well (in a space where you can’t SEE illness/it’s beyond frustrating). So, it’s validating. to have a legitimate reason behind our struggles.
What upsets me is, bc more & more folks are understanding & sharing their trauma – we now have people – influencers/public figures/doctors & even psychologists telling OTHERS their their pain is “less than” & doesn’t “qualify” as trauma.
I’m a big fan of Adam Grant’s work. Agree w many of his posts & ideas. But the motivation for this particular post came from his share the other day (last slide➡️). NO ONE should be telling others what is & isn’t traumatic to them.
I read that post & it’s a classic example of the “protection of victimhood” we see influencers doing all the time to build followers. Essentially: let’s not count certain things as trauma, bc that’s not fair to people who’s experienced REAL trauma. What?
You can be walking down the street at 5 yrs old, see a car lose control, the car jumps the curb, never hits anyone, the driver is fine, but it leads to this awful feeling & idea in your head that sidewalks aren’t safe bc a car can jump the curb at any moment & take you out. You then go thru 20 yrs of intense panics before each walk outside, fearing the worst, before you ever address it. THAT can be trauma in your system – that these “textbook” definitions would not cover.
Think abt how many scenarios like this happen.
Once again you cannot compare emotional pain one person or experience to the next. Let’s not invalidate ppl’s pain & struggle w these attempts at academic high grounds.