That is how trauma operates. Just when you think you have found yourself— discouragement, sadness and anguish hide around corners, waiting to jump out. 

And then we have things we cherish taken away—loss is the rip tide of tyranny. It leads to grief and anguish after the losses.

We will talk about trauma as an understandable process with symptoms that will be explained. Many of us cope with trauma symptoms without experiencing diagnosed PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). For trauma to meet formal diagnostic criteria, various symptoms must occur together in severe ways (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). And then there’s Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) where abuse occurred early in someone’s life, then more abuse as a teen and/or adult makes trauma so severe that it puts its arms around us and squeezes until we can hardly breathe. Panic attacks can strike without warning. In this book, we will include symptoms without trying to measure severity, because suffering deserves recognition even when it does not fit into a diagnostic category.

And, like my little cocker spaniel whose anxiety causes her to easily startle and jump at sounds, you may experience some anxiety or stress while reading this book. Please keep some comfort food and coffee/tea/soda nearby and maybe consider having supportive people available to talk with during or after reading. Thank you for joining me in this important conversation.