You have likely experienced trauma if, you answer “YES” to any of the following questions.
Have you had an experience where you were afraid for your life?
Have you had an experience where you were afraid for someone else’s life?
Have you experienced or witnessed physical abuse?
Have you experienced or witnessed sexual abuse?
Have you experienced or witnessed significant neglect?
Have you suffered significant impacts from a national disaster, e.g., loss of home, important possessions, serious injury(ies), etc.
Important Note: “Trauma is the unique individual experience of an event or enduring conditions in which the individual's ability to integrate his/her emotional experience is overwhelmed and the individual experiences (either objectively or subjectively) a threat to his/her life, bodily integrity, or that of a caregiver or family.” (Saakvitne, K. et al, 2000)
The bottom line, in simpler terms, if you’ve been in a situation whereby you were emotionally overwhelmed and were unable to cope and your experience involved a feeling of serious threat to you or someone close, then you have experienced trauma.