Trauma changes everything—it rewires your mind, shatters your soul, and leaves scars you can’t see.
Trauma. A small word carrying the weight of a thousand silent screams. Everyone has a story, some darker than others, but trauma doesn’t discriminate. It’s not reserved for battlefield veterans or victims of catastrophic disasters. Trauma is personal, raw, and unforgiving. It burrows deep, turning your mind into a battlefield where your enemy isn’t out there—it’s inside.
But what is trauma, really? It’s not just an event. It’s what happens inside you when the event is over. Trauma isn’t the car crash, the betrayal, or the overdose. It’s the aftermath. It’s the fragments of your soul scattered across the timeline of your life, the constant tug-of-war between who you are now and who you were before everything shattered.
Let’s get one thing straight—trauma doesn’t play fair. It rewires your brain, rewrites your story, and challenges your grip on reality. You can’t see it, can’t touch it, but damn, you feel it. It’s the panic when there’s no threat, the numbness when you should feel joy, the isolation that creeps in even when you’re surrounded by people. It’s the ghost that follows you into every room, whispering reminders of what you’ve lost.
Trauma doesn’t show up the same way for everyone. Some people lash out. Others shut down. Some drown it in a bottle, a pill, or a thousand other destructive coping mechanisms. And let’s be real—those methods might work for a while. But trauma isn’t something you can bury. You can try to stuff it down, run from it, pretend it never happened, but it will always find you. It’s relentless, waiting in the shadows until you’re too tired to fight back.
And here’s the kicker: trauma isn’t just about the big stuff. Sure, we all recognize the textbook definitions—war, abuse, loss. But trauma is sneaky. It can hide in the quiet moments. The neglect. The harsh words that cut deeper than fists ever could. The feeling of being invisible, unwanted, unworthy. Trauma is personal, and no one gets to tell you that your pain isn’t valid because it doesn’t fit their definition. If it broke you, it broke you. Period.
Let’s talk science for a second. Trauma lives in your body as much as it does in your mind. Your nervous system is on high alert, ready to fight, flee, or freeze at the drop of a hat. It’s why your heart races when someone raises their voice. It’s why you can’t sleep. It’s why your chest tightens like a vice when you think about the past. Trauma changes you on a cellular level. It’s not just “in your head.” It’s in your body, your brain, your entire being.
And then there’s the shame. Oh, the shame. Trauma loves to make you feel like it’s your fault like you should have been stronger, smarter, faster, or like you could have stopped it if you’d just been better. That’s the lie trauma tells. It wasn’t your fault. It was never your fault.
So, what do you do with all this? How do you live with a wound that doesn’t heal, a pain that doesn’t fade? You fight. Not in the way you think, though. Fighting trauma isn’t about toughing it out or pretending it doesn’t hurt. It’s about learning to live with the scars, to carry the weight without letting it crush you. It’s about taking back control, one small step at a time.
Start by acknowledging it. Name it. Own it. You can’t heal from something you refuse to face. Yes, it’s terrifying. Yes, it will hurt. But you’ve already survived the worst of it—the event itself. Facing it now? That’s where your power lies.
Then, let go of the shame. Shame is a poison that keeps you stuck. You didn’t choose this. You didn’t deserve it. But you get to decide what happens next. You get to write the next chapter.
Healing isn’t linear, and it’s not a damn Instagram post with a happy ending. It’s messy, ugly, and brutal. But it’s also worth it. Find a therapist who gets it. Talk to someone who won’t judge. Find an outlet—run, lift, write, scream into the void if you have to. But do something. Trauma wants you to stay stuck. Don’t give it the satisfaction.
And here’s the truth: trauma changes you. You don’t go back to who you were before. That person is gone, and that’s hard to accept. But here’s the beautiful part—you get to become someone new. Someone stronger. Someone wiser. Someone who knows what it means to survive.
Trauma isn’t a death sentence. It’s a challenge. A test. A crucible. It burns away everything that isn’t essential, leaving behind only what truly matters. And while it may feel like you’ve lost everything, you haven’t lost the most important thing: yourself. You’re still here. And as long as you’re still here, you have a chance to rebuild.
So, what is trauma? It’s the storm that wrecks your life. But it’s also the fire that forges you. It’s the wound and the scar: the battle and the victory. Trauma doesn’t define you, but it does shape you. And how you let it shape you? That’s up to you.
You didn’t choose this, but you can choose what comes next. You can rise. You can fight. You can heal. Trauma may have knocked you down, but you’re still breathing, and as long as you’re breathing, there’s hope. So take that first step. It’s going to hurt, but you’re stronger than you think.
You’ve survived 100% of your worst days. Don’t stop now. Keep going. Keep fighting. Trauma didn’t break you—it revealed you. The real you. The warrior. The survivor. And that person? That person is unstoppable.
Stay disciplined. Stay resilient.
Jim Lunsford
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