"Big T" and "little t" Trauma

Have you ever wondered what little t and Big T trauma is all about?  

Little t trauma refers to distressing events that a person's ability to cope physically, emotionally, or intellectually become compromised. It is sometimes referred to smaller ongoing traumas that can accumulate overtime where our ability to cope or tolerate is diminished. 

An Example of little t trauma:

Johnny LittleT went through most of his childhood being questioned about being lazy and not being smart enough. Parents compared him to his brother and sister when he messed up. Overtime he started to become frustrated and went from crying, to feeling angry, to emotionally numb. 

As he grew up he started to develop natural coping skills to deal with productivity. Now he works as a director for a marketing firm and he always feels like he is needing to prove himself and overworks causing his relationships to not be prioritized. His partners share how he doesn't put the work into the relationship which leads to frequent breakups. He constantly compares himself to others and his internal dialog is "I can't be lazy, and I am not good enough" he started compensating by telling himself "I must exceed expectations", "I have to be the best" in order for him to feel safe in his job. 

Johnny began comparing himself to all the people who are in good relationships He tells himself he will never be good enough for anyone out there and how he will never truly be happy. This leads to high anxiety both at work and in his relationships. He then overtime cycles through depression and lack of hope.    

Breaking down Little T in the above snippet. His little t trauma may have started when Johnny was constantly being compared to others and being delivered messages that caused emotional harm. Even though one message was within his skills to deal with. Listening to consistent messages over time created a lack of functioning which created little t trauma. As an adult his trauma when triggered had him compare himself to others and then overcompensate which created thoughts and behaviors of him needing to prove himself. This created anxiety and depression which was fed by his internal language of not being enough. He may not realize that it was all the little messages from childhood and failed relationships was actually little t trauma.    

Other examples of little t trauma: 

• Emotional abuse

• Ongoing financial concerns 

• Vicarious experiences (Hearing other peoples experiences or repeated news events which cause impact on personal functioning) 

• Bullying

• Non-life threatening injuries

• Chronic Pain

• Harassment 

Big T Trauma is well defined by APA (American Psychological Association) and defines Trauma as: an “emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape or natural disaster. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea.” These traumatic experiences often overwhelm the person’s coping mechanisms which often leads the person to find ways of coping with these ways of coping being maladaptive or harmful. 

Both little t and Big T traumas can have very similar symptoms that can suprise many people. In many cases where medications struggle to work on mood or anxiety trauma can be the culprit. Both little t and Big T trauma can contribute to or cause following symptoms" 

• Intrusive memories

• Avoidance

• Negative changes in thinking and mood

• Emotional reactions. 

• Sleeping issues

• Memory issues

• Hypervigilance 

• Engaging in risk situations 

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Borderline or Narcissistic behaviors 

• Increased or uncontrollable anger

In working with trauma there are so many great options for treatment that are evidenced based to provide direction and guidance for recovery. Some recommended therapy approaches are Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy, EMDR Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, Trauma Informed Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Somatic Therapy, and exposure therapy. Always seek out professional guidance to help assess and determine types of intervention or treatment approaches based on your personal experiences.