Trauma and PTSD

How past experiences can affect your sense of safety, your emotions, and your relationships.

Trauma & Safety

Reactions to trauma are common, and many people heal. Open one section at a time.

About 2 min read

This page is for understanding, not diagnosing. Only a licensed professional can tell you what is going on for you. Many of these experiences overlap, and having some of the signs does not mean you have a condition.

What it is

Trauma can follow an event you lived through or witnessed, such as violence, an accident, a disaster, or abuse. Many reactions are common and usually fade, such as anxiety, sadness, anger, trouble sleeping, or replaying what happened. Most people recover from the first reactions, and most people who go through a dangerous event do not develop PTSD (NIMH). Treatment helps those whose symptoms last.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is diagnosed when symptoms last for at least a month and get in the way of daily life. Earlier trauma, especially in childhood, raises the risk.

How it can feel

You may feel unsafe even when you are not in danger. Memories can come back without warning, your body may react as if it is happening again, and you may feel numb, ashamed, or cut off from other people.

How to notice it

PTSD symptoms are grouped like this:

Reliving the event: unwanted memories, nightmares, or flashbacks that can bring a racing heart or sweating.
Avoiding reminders: staying away from places, people, or thoughts connected to what happened.
Changes in thoughts and mood: strong guilt, shame, fear, or anger; feeling detached or numb; negative beliefs about yourself or the world.
Feeling on edge: being easily startled, trouble sleeping or concentrating, irritability, or risky behavior.

What can help

Trauma-focused talk therapies such as cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure are strongly recommended in the American Psychological Association’s guideline, and EMDR is another option recommended in other major guidelines (for example VA/DoD and WHO). Some medicines can also help. Feeling safe, steady routines, and supportive relationships are an important base for healing. See our Guide to Common Therapy Types.

When to reach out

Please reach out if symptoms last more than a month, keep you from daily life, or lead to heavy substance use or thoughts of suicide. In the United States, call or text 988 in a crisis. Elsewhere, use your local emergency number or findahelpline.com.

Sources

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (topic)
American Psychological Association. (2025). Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder in adults.

If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 (the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the United States), or chat at 988lifeline.org. It is free, confidential, and open 24 hours a day. Outside the United States, find a local helpline at findahelpline.com. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 (in the United States) or your local emergency number.

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Within Your Light provides psychoeducation. This page is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Please talk with a licensed professional about your own health. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 in the United States. Elsewhere, contact your local emergency number or find a helpline at findahelpline.com.