Join Kirk and Friends TONIGHT for "Trauma vs. Traumatization" with Warriors for Life (WFL)
- Col (Ret) Mikel Burroughs
- 12 hours ago
- 3 min read
Come join Volunteer, Peer Support Specialist Kirk Poe for "Awaken Your Inner Healer!" edition of Warriors for Life (WFL) Online, sponsored and presented by Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV).
We are asking everyone to share who we are and what support Victory for Veterans provides via WFL. If you know someone who is a veteran, first responder or a family member/caregiver, please ask them to join us for at least one meeting so they can learn more about what we do and how they can share their wisdom with others who may be able to learn from them.
TONIGHT's Topic: "Trauma vs. Traumatization"
Join Kirk and friends TONIGHT for a discussion about "Trauma vs. Traumatization". Everyone is welcome!
The current cultural moment tends to romanticize the idea that trauma is everywhere. Trauma is in relationships, in breakups, in miscommunications, in disagreements, in discomfort, in political tension, in daily stress. We often talk as if trauma is inevitable and as if everyone who suffers must adopt the identity of “the traumatized” and a “victim.”
We can honor suffering without turning every wound into trauma. When we reserve the word "trauma" for the injury that truly disrupts the system, we make space for another category of human experience—emotional wounds that require attention, meaning, and integration. This distinction is not about minimizing pain; it is about expanding possibility. It reminds us that resilience is not rare, that nervous systems are not as fragile as the culture suggests, and that hope often begins the moment we stop calling every scar a broken bone.
Trauma is the distressing event itself, while traumatization is the individual's psychological response to that event, which can include symptoms like flashbacks, anxiety, and difficulty coping. While everyone can experience a traumatic event, not everyone becomes traumatized; it depends on how the event overwhelms their capacity to cope. Traumatization is characterized by a lasting psychological impact that disrupts normal functioning.
| Trauma | Traumatization |
Definition | An event that is psychologically disturbing, causing severe emotional shock or distress. | The process of being negatively affected by a traumatic event, leading to emotional or behavioral problems. |
Nature | The cause—an external event or experience. | The effect—the internal psychological and emotional response. |
Example | A natural disaster, an accident, or abuse. | Developing symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or experiencing nightmares, flashbacks, and heightened anxiety. |
Key factors | The objective severity of the event. | The individual's subjective perception, and their capacity to cope. |
Outcome | Does not automatically result in trauma. | Can result from a traumatic event, leading to lasting psychological impact. |
Key distinctions
An event vs. a reaction: You can experience trauma without being traumatized. The event happens to you, but you are traumatized when your mind and body have a severe, lasting reaction to it.
Subjective experience: What is traumatic for one person might not be for another. The key is not just the event, but how an individual perceives it and their ability to process it at the time.
Symptoms: Being traumatized is identified by the presence of specific symptoms like anxiety, flashbacks, and difficulty functioning, which can appear long after the event occurred.
How the terms are used
Traumatic event: Refers to events like a car crash, a serious illness, or experiencing a natural disaster.
Traumatized person: Describes an individual who has developed psychological symptoms after a traumatic event, such as PTSD.
Traumatizing experience: An experience that is so overwhelming it has the potential to lead to trauma.
Re-traumatization: Occurs when a person is exposed to a new event that is similar enough to a past trauma to trigger a strong, traumatic reaction.
Warriors for Life (WFL) Online "Awaken Your Inner Healer!" edition presented by Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV) - Monday (TONIGHT), November 24, 2025 @ 4:30 PM PT, 5:30 PM MT, 6:30 PM CT, & 7:30 PM ET
Join Zoom Meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86121340012
Thank you,
Kirk Poe, Certified Peer Support Specialist, Reiki Master, Certified Body/Emotion/Belief Code Practitioner, & Volunteer Facilitator, Victory for Veterans, Inc. (VFV)