The literature around trauma uses a lot of different terms to describe different categories of experiences, reactions, and events. It is difficult to understand what you’re reading if you don’t know the language. This post is a cheat sheet for terms to help you navigate articles, videos, and discussions about trauma.
In a recent talk at the Collective Trauma Summit, therapeutic coach Alex Howard discussed the importance of feeling rather than acting out or avoiding our emotions. Howard suggests that people generally have six emotional styles they may use to avoid painful emotions. While none of these strategies are inherently harmful when practiced occasionally, they may become a problem if they are a person’s only coping strategy.
