What Is Trauma?

Even the most successful people carry silent burdens. Trauma doesn’t always look like a catastrophic event—it can be woven into the everyday fabric of achievement, pressure, and perfectionism.

Understanding trauma, and how it may be showing up in your life, is a powerful first step toward healing.

Big T Trauma

Life-Altering, Obvious Events

Big T trauma includes events that are overwhelmingly threatening or life-shattering. Think:

  • Car accidents

  • Natural disasters

  • Physical or sexual assault

  • Combat

  • Sudden loss of a loved one

These experiences are easier to recognize, and often expected to leave a psychological impact.

little t trauma

The Invisible Weight High Achievers Often Carry

little t trauma may not look dramatic from the outside, but its effects run deep. These include:

  • Chronic emotional neglect

  • Repeated micro-invalidations

  • Feeling unseen or unheard in childhood

  • High expectations and perfectionism

  • Workplace or relationship gaslighting

  • Growing up in environments where emotions were dismissed or minimized

These subtle, cumulative experiences can lead to anxiety, imposter syndrome, chronic dissatisfaction, burnout—or a persistent sense of "never enough," no matter how much you accomplish.

Why Both Matter

Whether it’s Big T or little t, trauma lives in the body and nervous system. It shapes how you think, feel, lead, love—and how safe or in control you feel in your own skin.

Many high performers are excellent at managing stress on the surface. But unresolved trauma can quietly erode confidence, fulfillment, and well-being, even in the most outwardly successful lives.

The good news? Your nervous system can heal.

You're Not Broken—You're Human

EMDR therapy is a powerful, evidence-based approach to processing trauma—both big and small—so you can reclaim clarity, peace, and true resilience.