Does Everyone Have Trauma?
“Trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you.”
An Exploration of What Trauma Really Means
The word trauma is everywhere these days—from TikTok therapy tips to offhand remarks about feeling “traumatized” after a long meeting. While this growing awareness has opened important conversations, it’s also led to confusion: What actually counts as trauma? And who gets to decide?
Even within the mental health community, there’s ongoing debate about how trauma should be defined. Should we stick with a narrow clinical standard, or acknowledge the wide range of experiences that can leave lasting effects on a person’s mental and emotional well-being.
As a trauma therapist, I see how these questions aren’t just theoretical—they affect how people view their own experiences, how therapists practice, and how accessible healing can be.
Clinical Definitions of Trauma
If we go by the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), trauma is defined in the context of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)—as exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence.
PTSD was officially added to the DSM-III in 1980, largely in response to advocacy from Vietnam veterans and mental health professionals who were seeing the lasting psychological toll of combat. Their efforts helped bring attention to trauma as more than just a personal weakness or character flaw. Early research on Holocaust survivors and the work of clinicians treating survivors of rape and domestic violence also expanded the understanding of trauma’s impact. Still, the original diagnostic criteria focused mostly on life-threatening events, leaving out many people whose trauma came from chronic neglect, emotional abuse, or systemic stress.
The Case for Complex PTSD
In response, many clinicians have long advocated for the addition of “Complex PTSD” (C-PTSD) to better capture the psychological effects of prolonged, relational, or developmental trauma—especially in childhood. However, despite growing research and support from practitioners, C-PTSD was not included in the DSM-5.
This omission has had real consequences. Without a fitting diagnostic category, therapists working with complex trauma are often forced to diagnose clients with something else—such as Generalized Anxiety Disorder or Major Depressive Disorder. While this may provide access to treatment, it leads to a focus on symptom management rather than addressing the underlying trauma.
It also creates tension between clinical wisdom and the constraints of the medical model. Many trauma therapists treat their clients holistically—guided by what they see in practice, not just what fits a diagnostic checklist. Yet when insurance reimbursement hinges on DSM criteria, they must document medical necessity in ways that may misrepresent the true nature of the client's suffering.
As a result, many trauma therapists choose to work outside of insurance networks to preserve clinical integrity and flexibility in treatment—though this often limits accessibility for clients.
Trauma's Impact on the Nervous System
So how should we define trauma?
Many trauma therapists shift the focus from the nature of the event to the impact on the person. From this perspective, trauma is not defined by what happened, but by how the nervous system responded—how the experience overwhelmed a person’s capacity to cope, integrate, or feel safe again.
That’s why a combat veteran with flashbacks and an executive with panic attacks may both have trauma at the root of their symptoms. The events that caused these issues are not weighed against each other for validity. Instead, what matters is the dysregulation in the nervous system—the triggers, shutdowns, hypervigilance, and emotional suffering that persist after the original event is over.
Debating the Scope of Trauma
Not everyone agrees with this expanded view. Some clinicians argue that using the term trauma too broadly waters it down, potentially invalidating the suffering of those who have experienced life-threatening events. They worry that, if everything is trauma, then nothing is—and that a loss of diagnostic precision could hinder effective treatment.
Others argue that insisting on a narrow definition further marginalizes people whose suffering doesn’t fit that mold, particularly survivors of chronic emotional abuse, neglect, or systemic oppression.
The debate comes down to this: Do we protect the word trauma by keeping it clinically narrow, or do we expand it to better reflect the complexity of human suffering?
Implications for Clients and Clinicians
This isn’t just semantics. How we define trauma shapes everything from research funding to treatment accessibility to how individuals understand their own stories.
Diagnosis & Coverage: Without a formal diagnosis that captures complex trauma, clients may not receive adequate insurance coverage or targeted treatment.
Validation: Many people minimize their own experiences because they don’t think they “qualify” as trauma. Broadening the definition helps people recognize and validate their suffering.
Therapy Access: Adhering to the medical model has pushed many therapists toward short-term, symptom-focused treatments that align with demands from insurance companies. While these approaches can provide relief, they often fall short of addressing the underlying issues that support lasting healing and transformation.
The Bottom Line: You Don’t Have to Prove Your Trauma
Trauma isn’t just what happened—it’s what happened inside you. It’s the fear that stuck around, the shame that shaped your relationships, the numbness that protected you, or the people-pleasing that caused you to lose yourself.
Whether or not your experience meets the criteria in a diagnostic manual, it’s still worthy of care.
Ready to Begin Your Healing Journey?
If you’re wondering whether your experiences “count” as trauma, you’re not alone—and you don’t have to navigate it on your own. I offer online therapy for adults in Arizona, Oregon, Washington, and Massachusetts, specializing in trauma, anxiety, and stress-related issues using EMDR and other evidence-based approaches.
Schedule a free 20-minute consultation to see if we’re a good fit. You deserve support that honors your story and helps you move toward lasting change.
