Understanding Trauma and Its Effects on Mental Health

By dsonnenberg on August 22, 2026 • ( 0 )

What is trauma, and what are examples of trauma that lead to mental health issues?

SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) defines trauma broadly as an event, repeated events, or circumstances experienced as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening that have lasting effects on well-being.^[1]

Trauma can contribute to anxiety, depression, PTSD, substance-use problems, relationship difficulties, sleep problems, grief complications, and other mental-health concerns. But it is not a simple one-to-one rule: the same event affects people differently, and supportive relationships, safety, faith community, and timely care can all be protective.

Examples of trauma:

1. Interpersonal harm

Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.
Childhood neglect—such as lack of food, supervision, affection, medical care, or protection.
Domestic violence, whether someone is directly harmed or repeatedly witnesses it.
Bullying, harassment, stalking, coercive control, or assault.
Betrayal by a trusted person: a parent, spouse, caregiver, teacher, leader, or faith-community member.
Racism, hate incidents, discrimination, or chronic humiliation that creates ongoing fear or powerlessness.

2. Loss and disruption

Sudden or violent death of a loved one, including suicide or overdose.
Deaths that occur after a prolonged, difficult illness or caregiving experience.
Divorce, abandonment, family separation, incarceration of a family member, or forced removal from home.
Infertility, miscarriage, stillbirth, traumatic childbirth, or loss of a child.
Job loss, eviction, homelessness, food insecurity, or severe financial instability—particularly when ongoing.

3. Accidents, illness, and disaster

Serious car crashes, fires, falls, workplace accidents, or near-drowning.
A life-threatening diagnosis, ICU stay, disabling injury, chronic pain, or frightening medical procedures.
Natural disasters, displacement, community violence, war, or refugee experiences.
Being present during a shooting, murder, suicide, or other violent event—even as a witness rather than the direct victim.

4. Repeated childhood adversity

Childhood experiences can be especially influential because they occur while a child’s sense of safety and capacity to regulate stress are still developing. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) examples of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) include violence, abuse, neglect, witnessing violence, a family member’s suicide attempt or death, household substance-use or mental-health problems, parental separation, incarceration, homelessness, and unstable housing. These experiences are associated with increased later risk of mental-health and substance-use problems, but they do not determine a person’s future.^[2]^[3]

How trauma may show up

Trauma does not always look like someone visibly “falling apart.” It may appear as:

Anxiety, panic, hypervigilance, irritability, or feeling easily startled.
Depression, numbness, shame, hopelessness, or loss of interest.
Intrusive memories, nightmares, avoidance, dissociation, or feeling detached.
Trouble trusting others, withdrawing from community, or difficulty with intimacy.
Anger, controlling behavior, people-pleasing, perfectionism, or overwork.
Sleep disruption, headaches, chronic tension, stomach symptoms, or unexplained exhaustion.
Alcohol/drug misuse, compulsive behaviors, self-harm, or other ways of trying to manage unbearable distress.
Spiritual distress: feeling abandoned by God, guilt, difficulty praying, fear of church settings, or distrust of leaders—particularly after spiritual abuse.

Not everyone who has trauma develops PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Risk can be greater when trauma was earlier in life, repeated, ongoing, accompanied by little support, or layered on prior adversity or mental-health/substance-use challenges.^[4]^[5]

A pastoral-care lens

For ministry settings, it is often more helpful to ask, “What has happened to you, and what has helped you survive?” rather than, “What is wrong with you?” That approach avoids assuming a diagnosis while making room for the person’s story, dignity, agency, and faith.

A trauma-sensitive response usually includes:

Believe and listen without pressing for details.
Avoid spiritual shortcuts such as “just forgive,” “you need more faith,” or “everything happens for a reason.”
Offer choices—where to sit, whether to pray, whether to continue talking—because trauma often involves loss of control.
Encourage professional, trauma-informed support when symptoms persist, impair functioning, or involve safety concerns.
Maintain clear confidentiality and mandated-reporting boundaries, especially with children, vulnerable adults, or ongoing abuse.
Keep prayer and Scripture invitational rather than coercive; spiritual practices can be deeply healing, but they should not replace clinical care when it is needed.

When prompt help matters

Encourage prompt professional support if someone has worsening nightmares or panic, severe depression, inability to manage daily life, escalating substance use, self-harm, thoughts of death or suicide, or fear of an abusive person. NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health) recommends contacting a primary-care clinician or qualified mental-health professional when mental-health concerns follow a traumatic event; maintaining supportive connection, sleep and meal routines, and avoiding alcohol/drug coping can also help.^[4]

If a person may be in immediate danger or may act on suicidal thoughts, call or text 988 in the United States for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, or call 911 for an immediate emergency.

*Other articles on Mental Health Care in the Church on this website*

Footnotes/Sources for this article: