Debunking Myths About Trauma

There is a lot of information out there about trauma, find out what is accurate and what isn’t.

These days, social media is overflowing with mental health advice from influencers—but much of it is far from reliable. As a trauma therapist, I’ve noticed a troubling amount of misinformation circulating online. In fact, one study revealed that more than 80% of mental health content on TikTok is misleading. Trauma-related advice, in particular, was found to be the most inaccurate, with over half of it deemed incorrect and only about one-third considered accurate. Trauma is often misunderstood, leading to the spread of myths that can hinder healing and growth. In this post, I will explore some of the most common misconceptions about trauma and clarify the reality behind them.

Myth 1: Triggers are Something to Be Avoided

Many people believe that the best way to cope with trauma is to avoid triggers altogether. Some common triggers may include loud noises, certain smells, specific locations, anniversaries or dates related to the trauma, crowded spaces, media content like TV shows, movies, or news, feelings of being trapped, certain words or phrases, or unexpected physical touch. It makes sense that you would want to avoid stimuli that feel painful or cause reactions that feel difficult to manage. After all, the best short-term solution to distress and anxiety is avoidance. For instance, they might steer clear of conflict because disagreements once felt unsafe to express. However, avoiding conflict can prevent you from advocating for yourself and addressing your needs. Over time, this pattern can hinder the development of healthy, authentic relationships.

Reality

The reality is that while avoiding triggers might provide short-term relief, it can prevent long-term healing. This actually can create a cycle of fear and avoidance, which limits your ability to fully engage in life. Avoidance can create a cycle that makes fear and anxiety worse over time. When you avoid something that triggers you, it might feel better in the moment, but it also reinforces the idea that the trigger is dangerous. Each time you come back to it; the fear feels stronger.  

For example, if social situations make you anxious and you avoid them, you never get the chance to see that they’re not as scary as they seem. Instead, the fear grows, and it gets harder to face those situations in the future.  

Breaking this cycle means slowly and safely confronting the fear so your brain can learn it’s not as threatening as it feels. Over time, this helps you take back control and engage more fully in life. Facing triggers in a safe and supportive environment can help individuals reclaim their lives and develop coping strategies. This has been supported by the research of Foa and Kozak (1986). Consider someone who has witnessed a horrific car accident. They might develop a fear of driving, leading to avoidance of cars and restrictions on their daily activities. Through therapy, they could engage in gradual exposure techniques, beginning with sitting in a stationary car and gradually progressing to brief, supported drives. Over time, this process helps their brain recognize driving as less threatening. With consistent work, they can rebuild their confidence and eventually return to driving.

Myth 2: Every Traumatic Event Causes PTSD

There is a widespread assumption that experiencing trauma automatically results in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We learn that PTSD comes from trauma, so it makes sense that these might seem inherently linked. 

Reality

While trauma can lead to PTSD, not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will develop PTSD (Kilpatrick et al, 2013). We have a natural healing process, and research shows that when this is able to happen, we process and move through trauma after about three months. This is when trauma reactions are expected to subside. Individual responses to trauma can look very different from person to person. They’re shaped by factors like resilience, support systems, and past experiences—things like childhood challenges, previous traumas, cultural influences, or even the coping strategies someone has learned over time. All of these play a role in how we process trauma and find our way toward healing. When something gets in the way of this natural healing process, PTSD can occur. For example, one theory stated that healing includes letting natural emotions, which are described as emotions stemming directly from the traumatic event such as sadness, be processed or expressed. Secondary emotions, which include anger, shame, and guilt, are emotions that stem from thoughts about the trauma. These emotions are thought to be held up by “stuck points,” which are the unhelpful thoughts or negative thinking patterns in areas such as trust, safety, power and control, esteem, and intimacy (Resick & Schnicke, 1992; Resick et al., 2016). 

Myth 3: Healing Means You’ll Never Be Triggered

Some people believe that true healing from trauma means they will no longer experience triggers. It is tempting to want to think about healing as black and white: healed versus not healed. It makes sense that when thinking about it this way, our idea of being “better” or “healed” would include a complete lack of distress, or that healing means returning to the way we were before the trauma. 

Reality

In truth, healing is often a nonlinear process. Individuals may continue to encounter triggers even after significant progress. Understanding that this is a normal part of the healing journey can alleviate feelings of failure or frustration. It’s not about never being triggered again: it’s about knowing you have the tools to effectively cope with triggers. 

The learning and growth that people experience in response to trauma can lead to new strengths and perspectives. Often, in the process of healing and recovery, a person develops post-traumatic growth (Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004), which refers to positive psychological changes that arise from the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances. This can include a deeper appreciation for life, improved relationships, greater resilience, and a sense of personal strength or purpose.

 This kind of growth can be even better than just “getting back to normal” after trauma. While returning to how things were, might feel comforting at first, post-traumatic growth offers something deeper—a chance to come out stronger and more connected to what really matters. Instead of just bouncing back, it’s about bouncing forward, finding new meaning, and building a life that feels even more fulfilling than before.

Getting out of the social media bubble can help

Myth 4: Trauma Only Happens from Extreme Events

Another common myth is that trauma only results from extreme experiences, such as war or severe abuse.

Reality

However, trauma can stem from a wide range of experiences, including emotional neglect, chronic stress, or everyday events that might not seem severe but deeply affect an individual (Herman, 1992). In her book, “Trauma and Recovery”, Herman coined the term “complex trauma” to describe trauma reactions that develop due to repeated instances of trauma over time, rather than one big event. She found that people had the same types of reactions when comparing war veterans, holocaust survivors, and individuals who had been in a relationship with someone who was abusive. Going through repeated difficult experiences, like childhood abuse, chronic bullying, or living in a war zone, can lead to trauma reactions and post-traumatic stress symptoms, just like the trauma faced by veterans. Dealing with ongoing stress from things like caregiving, medical challenges, or even facing discrimination can also take a serious toll over time, and when these symptoms don't resolve or are not properly addressed, they can develop into PTSD symptoms. It’s essential to recognize that everyone’s experience of trauma is valid, regardless of the event's magnitude.

Myth 5: Talking About Trauma Makes It Worse

Some believe that discussing trauma will only exacerbate their pain, or that talking about an old trauma could “retraumatize” them. This falls in line with the idea of avoiding triggers and the temptation of avoidance.

Reality

As discussed previously, talking about trauma in a safe and supportive environment can be a vital part of the healing process. It allows individuals to process their experiences, gain insight, and build connections with others who understand their struggles. (Neimeyer & Anderson, 2002). A person might go years without talking about a past trauma, pushing it down and getting on with life. But eventually, the weight of that pain can start to resurface, and the idea of opening up about it feels scary. They might worry that talking about it will send them right back to the awful place they were in when it first happened. This is a misunderstanding of how healing works. Talking about trauma is like physical therapy for the mind. Just like ignoring an injury doesn’t help it heal, avoiding trauma only keeps it hanging around. When we slowly face it, with the right support, we can start to heal and move forward—just like physical therapy helps rebuild strength after an injury.

Conclusion

You don't need to wait until your trauma is completely resolved to begin living your life. Research indicates that PTSD and post-traumatic growth are distinct experiences that exist on separate spectrums. This distinction allows for healing from trauma and personal growth to occur simultaneously. For example, someone might still have moments of anxiety or triggers related to their trauma but also find new strength in their relationships, work, or personal goals. This dual process means you don’t have to be "fully healed" before moving forward—healing and growth can happen at the same time, and each step you take toward healing can help you grow in ways you might not expect.

According to Keyes (2002), mental health and mental illness can be viewed as two separate continua, emphasizing that mental health is not merely the absence of mental illness.  It’s about feeling balanced, coping with life’s ups and downs, building positive relationships, and having a sense of purpose and well-being. When applying this model to healing and growth following trauma, it becomes clear that post-traumatic growth does not equate to the absence of PTSD; rather, it encompasses its own set of positive psychological elements.

You don’t have to wait to start healing, and you don’t have to avoid it either. There are ways to heal from trauma, and in the process, you can learn and grow. By facing your reactions and managing triggers, the brave work of healing can lead to a more fulfilling life. Trauma can show up in many different forms and situations, and so can the ways we react to it. While social media may sometimes give the wrong impression about trauma or healing, it's important to remember that evidence-based treatments do work. Healing from trauma and PTSD isn’t easy—it’s tough work, but it’s worth it, and it truly works.

References

Foa, E. B., & Kozak, M. J. (1986). Emotional processing of fear: Exposure to corrective information. Psychological Bulletin, 99(1), 20–35. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.99.1.20

Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. Basic Books.

Keyes, C. L. (2002). The mental health continuum: From languishing to flourishing in life. Journal of health and social behavior, 207-222. https://doi.org/10.2307/3090197

Kilpatrick DG, Resnick HS, Milanak ME, Miller MW, Keyes KM, Friedman MJ. National estimates of exposure to traumatic events and PTSD prevalence using DSM-IV and DSM-5 criteria. J Trauma Stress. 2013 Oct;26(5):537-47. doi: 10.1002/jts.21848. PMID: 24151000; PMCID: PMC4096796.

Neimeyer, R. A., & Anderson, A. (2002). The process of meaning reconstruction in bereavement: A context for healing. In The Handbook of Bereavement Research: Consequences, Coping, and Care (pp. 516-536). American Psychological Association

Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). Target Article: "Posttraumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Evidence". Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1501_01