Definitions of trauma
Within the therapeutic professional community, our understanding of trauma has progressed dramatically in the last 20 years. The likes of Gabor Mate, Dan Siegal and Bessel van der Kolk have deeply enriched our understanding of how trauma manifests, and particularly the neurological and physical impact of trauma.
In the western world, psychological trauma has traditionally been synonymous with the concept of ‘PTSD’, defined by the presence of a traumatic event, with manifestation three core types of symptoms – avoidance of traumatic reminders, re-experiencing the event and feelings of threat. More recently, the concept of ‘complex PTSD (CPTSD)’ has become a more commonly used descriptive term, and has been added as an official diagnosis to the ICD-II. Compared to PTSD, CPTSD more broadly captures the impact that pervasive, or early life, trauma has on several aspects of development and functioning including cognition, physical health, emotional health, behaviour and relationships.
