Understanding Big T and Little T Trauma
When thinking about trauma you may think about PTSD, and automatic responses (fight, flight, or freeze). But there is also a difference between types of trauma experienced. Maybe you have experienced symptoms of PTSD but don't feel that you have experienced a big trauma to have symptoms. In this article, our Charlotte, NC therapists will look more into different types of trauma and their impacts.
What is little T trauma?
Little T trauma refers to a traumatic event for an individual that didn’t create great physical danger to the individual who endured it but caused psychological distress. Some examples of little T trauma include experiencing the death of a loved one, getting fired from a job, or being rejected romantically or from a friend group. These experiences still create trauma responses similar to bigger traumas. We might be more susceptible to brushing off the impacts that little T traumas have on us. We may be more prone to gaslight ourselves when we experience trauma symptoms from little T traumas. But ultimately it's harmful to minimize our experiences that had distressing impacts on us. Little T traumas are still important and worth addressing with trusted supporters and mental health professionals in Charlotte, NC.
What is Big T trauma?
Big T trauma refers to trauma where there were both psychological and physical dangers present. Some examples of this may include experiencing a natural disaster, surviving a school shooting, car accident, and being involved in war combat. Big T trauma may also be chronic depending on what it is. Having been through trauma on this scale results in more avoidant behaviors from the person who went through it. A person might be more likely to avoid situations that remind them of the trauma experienced in an effort to not be subjected to the emotions that come up from it. The therapy modality of EMDR is a technique that is used by therapists to help clients who have experienced severe trauma. EMDR might very well be helpful for individuals along with ongoing talk therapy.
How does my brain and body react to experiencing these traumas?
Briefly mentioned at the beginning of this article were the trauma responses of fight, flight, and freeze. Therapists have also identified fawning and flopping as other limbic system responses to trauma. All of these trauma responses have the purpose of ensuring our survival in the midst of experiencing trauma. Fight response looks like anger outbursts, and bullying to stand up to a threat. Flight looks like running away from a threat by isolating, and procrastinating. Freeze response looks like dissociating or “checking out” to disconnect from a situation or experience. The fawning response comes in the form of people pleasing and making attempts at avoiding conflict with others. Flop trauma response can look like missing classes, fainting, or having a limited range of emotions in response to something.
What can be done?
Have you identified or resonated with anything mentioned in the information above? If you have, please know that you are not alone. One of the most effective things that you can do to help is to seek support in North Carolina. Support in the form of family, friends, and therapy can help put your experience into perspective.
Begin Trauma Therapy in Charlotte, NC
Handling feelings of shame, and hopelessness alone is not only isolating but can also be dangerous to your health. The first step that you can make today is to reach out. Here at Inward Counseling, we would be happy to help you. Our team sees individuals, couples, and families and can tailor to whatever your needs may be. Take the first step in your healing by following these simple steps, we look forward to hearing from you.
Fill out our contact form
Meet with a caring therapist
Start giving your relationship the support it deserves!
Other Services Offered With Inward Counseling
Trauma therapy isn’t the only service our team offers. We know that you may experience more than one mental health concern at a time. This is why we are happy to also offer therapy for anxiety, family, depression, and EMDR. We also offer christian therapy and couples counseling. Visit our blog or about page to learn more today.