Trauma is not defined only by what happened; it also involves how the nervous system and mind respond to what happened.

Different types of trauma

1. Acute trauma
   • Results from a single, overwhelming event.
   • Examples: assault, serious accident, sudden bereavement, natural disaster, violent attack.
2. Chronic trauma
   • Develops from repeated or ongoing exposure to threatening or harmful experiences.
   • Examples: prolonged domestic abuse, ongoing coercive control, chronic bullying, prolonged neglect.
3. Complex trauma
   • Usually involves repeated interpersonal trauma, particularly when it occurs over a long period and within relationships where the person should have been safe.
   • Examples: childhood abuse, prolonged domestic violence, repeated sexual abuse, severe neglect.
4. Developmental trauma
   • Trauma occurring during childhood or adolescence while the brain, attachment system and sense of identity are developing.
   • It can affect emotional regulation, attachment, trust, self-worth and relationships.
5. Childhood trauma
   • Adverse or frightening experiences during childhood.
   • This can include abuse, neglect, domestic violence, parental instability, abandonment or exploitation.
6. Interpersonal trauma
   • Trauma caused deliberately or through harmful behaviour by another person.
   • Examples: abuse, assault, rape, betrayal, bullying and domestic violence.
7. Relational or attachment trauma
   • Trauma occurring within important relationships.
   • Particularly significant when the person responsible for providing love, protection or safety is also the source of fear.
8. Sexual trauma
   • Trauma associated with sexual assault, rape, sexual exploitation, sexual coercion or sexual abuse.
   • It can occur in childhood or adulthood.
9. Domestic violence trauma
   • Trauma arising from violence, threats, intimidation, coercive control, stalking, financial abuse or other abuse within an intimate or family relationship.
10. Betrayal trauma

• Trauma associated with profound betrayal by someone on whom a person depends or whom they trusted.
• The impact can be particularly complicated when leaving the relationship carries significant emotional, financial or practical consequences.

11. Medical trauma

• Psychological trauma associated with frightening or overwhelming medical experiences.
• Examples include serious illness, invasive procedures, frightening diagnoses, medical emergencies or prolonged hospitalisation.

12. Disaster or natural trauma

• Trauma resulting from events such as earthquakes, floods, fires, hurricanes or other disasters.

13. Accidental trauma

• Trauma following an unexpected accident, such as a serious road accident, workplace accident or fall.

14. Community or societal trauma

• Trauma affecting individuals or communities through events such as war, terrorism, persecution, racism, mass violence or displacement.

15. Collective trauma

• Trauma experienced across a group, community or society following a major event.
• Examples include war, genocide, pandemics or mass disasters.

16. Vicarious trauma

• Psychological impact experienced by someone repeatedly exposed to other people’s traumatic experiences.
• It can occur among therapists, healthcare workers, emergency responders, advocates and carers.

17. Secondary traumatic stress

• Trauma-related symptoms that develop through exposure to another person’s traumatic experiences, particularly in caregiving or professional roles.

18. Historical or intergenerational trauma

• Trauma whose effects can persist across generations through family relationships, social conditions, learned responses and other mechanisms.

19. Cultural trauma

• Trauma affecting a group whose shared identity, traditions, security or social structures have been profoundly damaged.

20. Migration and displacement trauma

• Trauma associated with forced migration, war, persecution, separation from family, loss of home or prolonged uncertainty.

Another useful distinction

Trauma can also be described according to duration:

Single-event trauma → repeated trauma → prolonged trauma → complex trauma

And according to source:

Accidental → interpersonal → relational → societal → collective

For work involving abuse, one of the most important distinctions is between a single traumatic incident and prolonged interpersonal trauma. A person who has lived for years under fear, coercive control, humiliation or repeated abuse may experience effects that are considerably more complex than those associated with a single frightening event.