Is it trauma caused by external events or created by oneself?

[Javfly33]

I think those of us that have struggled with trauma can relate, we never get to decide which one is the truth...

The way we feel or experience certain thoughts that we call 'traumatic', is that a result of an external event, or the external event (or events) weren't really the cause but rather the interpretation we did of them? 

For example, let's take at the example of bullying. A kid that one day gets bullied might take it personal and think is about him, but maybe another kid might get bullied and just don't take it personal, think that the other guy is an asshole, and call it a day.

The difference between the first kid and the second kid, might be that one is handling certain configuration of 'energy' that makes him want to take it personal and feel like a victim.

After a lot of time I´m not yet sure if the 'answer' to is to heal trauma, or in the other hand, is to stop the configuration that allows to exist the trauma in the first place.

Thoughts?

Edited November 13, 2023 by Javfly33

[Guest Bazooka Jesus]

You are definitely on to something here. If a certain event is traumatic or not doesn't really depend on how "objectively" bad it was but on how you experienced it. But just as there is no actual dividing line between objective fact and subjective perception, you can also not really separate the traumatic event from the overall energetic configuration (as you call it) which is both the result as well as the cause of trauma. Both are inseparably linked to each other. So by addressing the trauma, you realign your energy patterns and vice versa. 

I think that the best way to go about it is to approach the issue from both sides simultaneously, so to speak. To combine mental and physical therapy. Mind and body are two equally important sides of the same coin, so I don't think that it makes much sense to give one of them preference over the other.

[tranquillus]

I recently thought about this after listening to a podcast with Dr. Gabor Mate. He said that trauma is not the event itself but rather our interpretation of the event, which makes so much sense imo. 
 

 

[Nemra]

10 minutes ago, tranquillus said:

He said that trauma is not the event itself but rather our interpretation of the event

Yes. That's true, at least from my experience. Those interpretations are so sticky and sneaky. Imo, you become the bully and the victim.

[Adrian colby]

Sure. Two people experience the same thing. One person comes to terms with it and uses the event as a lesson to learn about and improve their responses, thoughts, behavior and studies the mechanism of the event, how it came to happen/ or the psychology behind the person that acted in an imposing way toward them.

the other fills with anger, remains in a victim mentality and perpetuates the same reactive behavior towards anyone or any situation they see as similar even if it is truly not the case. They are behaving in a way their mind programmed itself to survive or cope and continue even though it is no longer needed.

if the event was the same for both then the perception of it was subjective.

no one controls your mind if you are self aware of your own psychology so you can inherently realise you have a choice through which lens you view your events. We always see it from our own bias unless we actively step back and take the bias out of it. 
 

I’ve a friend and his brother who were abused by the same person. Both have very different reactions. Although both were victims and so angry they became an issue for society cause they were attacking people… one went on a psychedelic therapy trial and turned his life around when he saw it from another perspective. The other keeps ending up in jail. 

[cjoseph90]

This is a great post, i would tend to say more on the external- we didnt get the love we wanted whilst young ect. so now whilst adults try to find that love through outside external sources.

[Jacob Morres]

I feel like mild trauma or pain from an incident is good because it helps you learn lessons 

Like if your bike breaks down due to a chain issue, you feel pain and buy quality chains from that point forward 

But I guess that's diff

 

Very interesting question though. I'm perplexed 

Edited November 19, 2023 by Jacob Morres

[Basman]

Trauma is the internalization of a distressing event. What is distressing can vary with interpretation. Some people get over what others are crippled by.

Trauma allows us to adapt to our environment, but it can be problematic if the adaptation (due to the interpretation of the event) is not suited for the current environment, like how people who grew up in abusive households act and behave in ways that give them poor results in life as adults. Their behavior is an adaptation to an abusive environment that translates poorly into adult life.

Trauma isn't unique to humans according to this research: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6685979/

Edited November 19, 2023 by Basman

[An young being]

On 13/11/2023 at 11:59 PM, Javfly33 said:

The way we feel or experience certain thoughts that we call 'traumatic', is that a result of an external event, or the external event (or events) weren't really the cause but rather the interpretation we did of them? 

 

Trauma itself I believe is mainly caused by the memory of the event. If you were a monk that time during the trauma, you wouldn't be having much negative reaction to it even during the trauma and you won't even register a bad memory. But we humans are susceptible to the following effects:

1. The past perceptions about the event from external sources which magnify the effect when caused to us and determine how bad the trauma is.

2. The strong registration in memory of the present reactions happening within the body during the event both physically and mentally.

3. The constant recall of the bad memory every day in the future, adding up to further bad and distorted memories along the way.

[Yimpa]

Quote

Is it trauma caused by external events or created by oneself?

Both.

[gettoefl]

most of us claim trauma major or minor

trauma makes me say i'm a victim

as a victim i am now a hater

being a victor however will make me a hurter

what's the solution?

be the visitor, knowing you're not from around here

[Yimpa]

3 hours ago, Basman said:

Trauma isn't unique to humans

For sure. My cat as a teen was my best friend. We both had our unique trauma and bonded through that, despite living very different lives.

[SeaMonster]

People can be ACTIVELY taught to suffer trauma from virtually nothing, a perceived slight.

This is called a microaggression.

Of course it's about perception, not reality.

[Basman]

3 hours ago, Yimpa said:

For sure. My cat as a teen was my best friend. We both had our unique trauma and bonded through that, despite living very different lives.

Would you mind telling a bit more? What kind of trauma did your cat have?

[Razard86]

Depends on what definitions you use, but to be in agreement with your perspective, both. I could go deeper...but I'm tired of going deeper now LOL.

[Yimpa]

3 hours ago, Basman said:

Would you mind telling a bit more? What kind of trauma did your cat have?

I believe that my cat had been abandoned and abused. He was really only ever close to me and would be very distant from other humans.

It’s truly an intimate connection that cannot be well formulated with words and has to be experienced directly. 

If you’ve never had any pets before, I highly recommend adopting one for yourself and getting a taste of that sort of intimacy.

[UnbornTao]

Not a therapist. I'd say it seems like the pain is experienced, and so is caused or generated by, you. Two people can react very differently to the same event.

But I don't know. Just some thoughts.

Edited November 20, 2023 by UnbornTao