In its most distilled form, the definition of a traumatic event is a situation in which one is exposed to great danger and is rendered powerless. The psychological impact of such an untoward experience can be profound: “On the psychological and mental levels, trauma refers to the wounding of the emotions, the spirit, the will to live, beliefs about the self and the world, one’s dignity, and one’s sense of security” (Matsakis, 1994, p. 28) . There are some key reasons why a traumatic event has such a deleterious impact, namely that: one is rendered powerless, fundamental safety beliefs are violated, trust in the goodness of others is broken and one’s basic human rights are transgressed upon.
The first of these reasons is rooted in the fundamental definition of a traumatic event, namely that one is rendered powerless during the experience. This experience of powerlessness undermines one’s belief in one’s ability to have a reasonable modicum of control over one’s life. Therefore, trauma strips an individual of his or her sense of power and control.
A traumatic experience also undermines and possibly strips one of one’s beliefs pertaining to being safe in the world. Two common beliefs about safety are the just-world hypothesis and the notion of personal invulnerability. The just-world hypothesis is the, often unspoken, premise that good things happen to good people and bad things to bad people. Therefore if one works at being a ‘good’ person one will also be safe, meaning one deserves what one gets and gets what one deserves and can control what one gets. This common belief provides many of us a sense of safety in that it tells the individual that she or he can control whether or not bad things will happen. A variation of this belief is that working one’s hardest and trying one’s best ensures that good, not horrible, things will not happen. The second belief around ensuring safety is that of personal invulnerability. This belief is common in children & adolescents but remains with most of us in a more subtle form. The belief centers on the convincing, though unrealistic, assumption that due to certain, generally controllable, factors – such as faith or good deeds – one will be protected or safe from ‘bad’ experiences. Trauma breaks these beliefs because the “bad thing” happened despite the good and invulnerable person working his or her hardest.
When the traumatic experience is man-made, which most traumatic experiences are, then basic assumptions about the trustworthiness/safety of others can be irrevocably shattered. When in danger people seek out comfort and support from other human beings. When no one answers this plea for help and when the source of torment is another person, who is unresponsive to our cries, a person’s basic trust is damaged. This damaged trust does not remain connected to the experience or to the abuser but seeps into all relationships. It is the proverbial drop of food coloring that colors a vat of water. The following passage helps one to understand the profound damage shattered trust can lead to because basic trust is an integral element to human relationships and one’s sense of meaning, purpose and self: “this sense of [safety in the world, or basic] trust sustains a person throughout the lifecycle. It forms the basis of all systems of relationship and faith [and] makes it possible for human beings to envisage a world in which they belong, a world hospitable to human life. Basic trust is the foundation of belief in the continuity of life, the order of nature, and the transcendent order of the divine” (Herman, 1997, p. 51-52).
Man-made disasters also wound the victim due to violating basic human rights. Please visit http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html to read the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The violation of these fundamental rights undermines a person’s basic belief about the positive value of her/himself and her/his inherent right to humane and respectful treatment.
Traumatic events can create long lasting wounds in survivors because the event renders one powerless, destroys fundamental beliefs around safety as well as beliefs in the benevolence of others and denies the victim his/her inherent human rights. Phrased another way, “traumatic events overwhelm the ordinary systems of care that give people a sense of control, connection, and meaning” (Herman, 1997, p. 33). Although it is true that the consequences of traumatic events teach us that to be human means to be vulnerable, it is just as true that the survivors of traumatic events teach us that humans are capable of astounding resilience and healing. That is the dialectic, which traumatic events require one to come to terms with. One must not live in fear of potential danger but rather grow and heal through the dangers that one, often, inadvertently experiences in life.
If you would like to contact Dr. Dillmann, please visit her website at http://www.drdillmann.com for contact information. This article does not provide or constitute psychological services.
Dr. Dillmann practices in Escondido, CA. She works with individual adults to improve their emotional lives, find peace from painful memories/experiences and develop skills for healthy living. Dr. Dillmann has focused much of her work on helping adults come to terms with and heal from traumatic events, both past and recently experienced events. For more information on Dr. Dillmann, please visit her website at drdillmann.com .