Understanding Trauma, Part 2: Stress and Trauma

Trauma is defined not by the event(s) that happen to us, but by the response our nervous system has to those events (if you missed Part 1, check it out to learn more about the function of the nervous system). By this definition, what is experienced as traumatic for one person may not be experienced that way by another. To understand this, let’s break down the difference between stress and trauma.