Who Might Experience Trauma?

Anyone is susceptible to experiencing a traumatic event. There is no safe haven from this. It has reached every corner of the globe and touched every person. At least 75% of the population has had at least one traumatic incident, according to several studies, such as the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study by Vincent Felitti M.D. and Robert Anda M.D. (www.cdc.gov/ace/prevalence.htm).

This has far-reaching implications for people of various ages, socioeconomic backgrounds, cultural backgrounds, religious affiliations, and sexual orientations (including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and others.

One or more members of a family can be traumatized by an occurrence. It's not just the person who went through the trauma themselves who's affected by it; everyone with a strong connection to them might feel the aftershocks.

Trauma may spread throughout a community when simply one person experiences it.

Disparaging comments, attempts at assimilation, and acts of genocide may leave a lasting scar on a culture.

The intergenerational trauma caused by colonialism and the residential school system is still being felt by First Nations communities in North America today. As a direct result of the devastation caused by 9/11, North American society soon became organized around dread and horror. Also, countries like Sudan, Rwanda, Syria, and Cambodia have endured trauma that has affected their culture.

After hearing the tales and seeing the pain of clients who have undergone trauma, service workers might be traumatized themselves. "Vicarious trauma" or "trauma exposure response" describes what happens to the provider when they are repeatedly exposed to traumatic material.

When facing radical transformation or intense public scrutiny, institutions and organizations are vulnerable to internal and external shocks (i.e., downsizing, restructuring, inquiries). If the procedure is not handled delicately and compassionately, individual staff members may become traumatized as a result, and/or their personal trauma histories may be reactivated by the occurrences.