Trauma means ‘wound’ in Greek.

The wound or pain point can exist on a physical, emotional, mental, or energetic level. It is the result of an overwhelming event in which the information could not be properly processed and becomes stuck in both body and mind. Healing these pain points or blockages can be deeply relieving.

There are different types of trauma:

Single-event trauma: for example, a car accident, the loss of a loved one, a divorce, or another overwhelming, one-time event.

Multiple/complex trauma: several overwhelming experiences over a longer period, in both children and adults. Examples include boundary-crossing behaviors such as bullying, belittling, sexual abuse, physical and emotional violence, and emotional neglect.

Developmental trauma: multiple overwhelming experiences occurring over time during the early developmental stages of a child (up to around age 8). This can result in underdeveloped areas of the brain and an overstimulated nervous system. As a result, insecure attachment to oneself and others may develop, along with compensatory behaviors to fill the unmet physical or emotional needs.

If, as a child, you experienced a lack in one or more of the 16 core needs, this can lead to a lifelong, often unconscious search to fill that void. This may manifest in behaviors such as overworking, emotional eating, perfectionism, people-pleasing, avoidance, or emotional numbing.