‘Small T’ trauma

‘Small T’ trauma is caused by a series of ongoing, emotionally distressing situations that exceed our ability to cope or disrupt our emotional functioning. For example:

Bullying
Divorce
Emotional abuse
Ongoing financial concerns
Non-life threatening injuries
Harassment

‘Small T’ trauma is often described as chronic trauma. Experiences like emotional abuse, childhood bullying, and harassment are instances of repeated exposure to emotional distress, which is the very definition of chronic trauma.

This form of trauma is often overlooked as there isn’t always an obvious event to tie it to, which in turn, can lead to feelings of confusion, guilt and shame.

Here at Delamere we’re big believers that addiction and other behaviours are symptoms of a deeper issue, and it’s our job to help you understand what that is and grow beyond it.

‘Big T’ trauma

‘Big T’ Trauma is often caused by traumatic adverse life events and is associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Events that can cause ‘Big T’ trauma include:

Experiencing violence
Witnessing violence
Living through a natural disaster
Life-threatening events
Witnessing a death
Sexual violence
War

This kind of trauma is also known as acute trauma, meaning trauma that comes from a singular traumatic event, rather than ongoing distress.

Somatic experiencing to heal trauma

Although talk therapy is a great way of understanding your past and building self-awareness, somatic work often helps unlock trauma in profound ways, making it easier to understand and work through.

We hold a lot of stress, tension and emotion in our bodies without realising it. Working with the body helps you understand your past, emotional responses, coping mechanisms and more in a way that talking alone cannot.

At Delamere, we offer a range of somatic practices led by expert practitioners to help you unlock whatever has been holding you back.