The essence of trauma to me is loss. I mean, what is a trauma other than the loss of comfort, trust, innocence, control, security, family, stability, sanity, love, dignity, health, faith, motivation, courage, or even one’s self? Trauma robs you of what makes you whole, and for far too many, trying to fill that void only elicits more torture along the already painstaking journey. We grieve what trauma has taken away from us. After that critically wounding event, life as you knew it was never the same again.
There are stages to trauma just like grief. The shock and disbelief of having the life-altering event happen to you. The denial and rejection as you stuff it down inside. The anger at why this is happening, the “what did I do to deserve this?” The last...