There’s a problem I think is growing by the minute: the way trauma, specifically of the emotional and psychological kind, is being talked about online. Now, before you accuse me of being a hypocrite who’s criticizing others for doing what she herself is doing, please let me explain.
Defining psychological or emotional trauma isn’t easy, much like defining emotional or psychological abuse. That makes it a tricky subject to approach. Trauma is real, very real, and can result in real disorders and long-term issues. However, as someone who’s both been online for most of my adult life and who also suffers from emotional trauma, I feel like nowadays the term is everywhere. Not only that but it’s being taken advantage of.
The term trauma is to be found everywhere, if you simply google it, you will get about 1.540.000.000 hits. Try googling for emotional trauma and you’ll discover 719.000.000 results to choose from. Shocking? Perhaps, but not surprising.
The higher the number of people publicly speaking about a subject, the higher the number of people feeling validated or included. On the other hand, however, this also means that a larger number of unqualified people are discussing a subject they hardly know enough about. And that can have consequences, especially for younger people, who are more susceptible to believing everything they see online.
Nowadays it’s as if the word “trauma” has become a beacon, a cultural touchstone, almost as a rite of passage. You’re “one of us” if you’ve experienced trauma. The thing is, trauma is everywhere, everyone has come in touch with it at one time or another in their lifetime! Quite honestly, trauma isn’t something special or different, it’s normal. But: having experienced trauma and being traumatized are two widely different things and the big issue here is that they’re being used as interchangeable terms.
No one who is (truly) traumatized, wants others ever to have to go through it, and turning it so widespread that it’s almost used as a currency, can feel like a slap in the face of those who have really experienced it.
However, what’s disconcerting is how much word trauma has been diluted, watered down, and adopted widely. This takes the meaning out of the words, making them popular and losing their importance. And taking the meaning away from the subject is the opposite of what we’re trying to do.
Experiencing trauma makes you feel helpless. It feels catastrophic, it will make you feel paralyzed, and you will have a hard time moving on. It’s a life-shattering event, that lingers and leaves permanent marks in your life.
But what about awareness? – I hear you ask.
It’s great that we’re talking about it and bringing awareness to the subject! Conversations about trauma and being traumatized have made people no longer doubt their feelings and/or experiences. This means that, to some degree, people are also becoming aware of what trauma is and what consequences it may have.
Sharing trauma experiences, on its own, isn’t a bad thing, it’s about the way it’s done. What I personally find unhealthy is how some people promote it on social media to get views and not to get better. When it becomes an advertisement, it has the opposite effect of healing, because it’s simply being used to stay relevant, while it is a popular topic. It’s taking advantage of something very real, very serious, for your own gain.
Misrepresenting trauma and the act of being traumatized can also have negative and dangerous impacts on people who have been really traumatized by something.
It can have the consequence of many people not seeking the right type of help for their trauma or the right kind of treatment for their PTSD, for example. Adding to that, it also means that a lot of people aren’t actually processing what they went through or healing their trauma. Instead, they stay stuck in that cycle of checking social media, feeling validated by memes, and liking flashy posts about the subject, without really getting to the core of their own issues. Yes, it may make you feel like you’re understood or part of a community, but the issues will still be there unless you work on them, unless you start your own healing journey.
It’s ok to find like-minded people on social media, people whom you can connect with and who can help you in your journey. But don’t let yourself get caught in the confidence of no longer being alone, don’t let that stop you from doing the work that needs to be done for you to heal, which should still be at the top of your list!