 Trauma can affect anyone at any point in life. Not only difficult experiences during early childhood, but also events later in life can trigger significant trauma in individuals. The American Psychology Association defines trauma as any experience that results in significant fear, helplessness, confusion, or other disruptive feelings. These feelings are so intense that they can have long-lasting negative effect on a person's mental health and attitude. Here are a few experiences that can generate trauma. Number one, lack of emotional attachment. Do you struggle with forming healthy relationships? This has its roots in an inconsistent emotional connection with your primary caregiver. Emotional or physical neglect during the early stages of life can cause trauma for the child. Emotional attachment is part of a child's primary motivational system, the same system that includes hunger. When the emotional needs of a child remain unfulfilled, it morphs into trauma, hindering healthy growth and development for the child. Number two, personal loss. Sudden loss can be overwhelming and may cause one to feel as if their entire world has changed overnight. Losing a loved one can be incredibly traumatic. Hence, grief and trauma can overlap. It may be difficult to process emotions such as bewilderment, confusion, or despair. Grief often causes anxiety and confusion, circumstances that you once knew suddenly change. There is no fixed timeframe for getting over the death of a loved one. At times, it may seem easier to remain in denial. This can prolong the ache even more. Such emotions when suppressed for a long time can further lead to trauma. Number three, dysfunctional families. One cannot choose the family that they're born into and no family is perfect. But some families are more toxic than others. In a dysfunctional family comes apathy, neglect, and even abuse. These adverse family dynamics can cause trauma. The vulnerable members feel unsafe as there are a lot of rules and little unconditional love. Dysfunctional families usually resort to tactics such as gaslighting to divide members into groups. This can make the isolated member feel insecure and anxious and prolonged feelings of anxiety and insecurity can cause trauma. Number four, chronic stress. Do you always feel on edge? Is it difficult for you to let your guard down? Chronic stress can cause trauma as well. When you're stressed, your body is in a constant state of fight or flight. This can cause you to feel insecure in your surroundings. There are many different factors that can cause chronic stress, work, relationships, family. Repressed emotions can also cause emotional stress. It's a psychological strain and uneasiness caused by perceived situations of danger, threat, or personal loss. Long time periods spent under constant duress can lead to the development of trauma as an end result. Number five, racism. Acts of racism instill fear and anxiety in those who experience them directly or even witness them. Racism affects many groups across different intersections of identity, experiencing such distressing events repeatedly can lead to prolonged hypervigilance and various forms of trauma. Number six, financial insecurity. Racism and financial insecurity are intrinsically linked. Poverty presents a lack of stability which can lead to hypervigilance, chronic stress, and anxiety, and eventually leads to trauma. The chronic stress caused by traumatic events like not having a stable place to live, being neglected or not having enough food is toxic and detrimental to one's health. And number seven, medical malpractice or negligence. Medical malpractice encompasses a misdiagnosis or an incorrect medical treatment. When you receive an incorrect diagnosis or if medical malpractice worsens the condition further, it can cause high levels of stress. If the misunderstanding is not cleared earlier or if the issue is prolonged, it can trigger feelings of deep trauma in the patients as well as those around them. Trauma is a part of life, but there are ways to manage it. With the right support system and the willingness to heal, you can live a healthier life. If you found this video helpful, be sure to hit the like button and share it with others too. Don't forget to subscribe to Psych2Go and hit the notification bell for more new videos. Thanks so much for watching and see you in the next one.