“Am I Overreacting, or Is It Trauma?”
If you minimize what happened to you or wonder whether it “counts,” this one’s for you.
The short answer
Trauma isn’t defined by how “bad” an event looks from the outside — it’s defined by how it overwhelmed your ability to cope and the mark it left. If something still affects you, it counts. You don’t need permission to get support.
Why minimizing keeps you stuck
Telling yourself “it wasn’t that bad” often keeps the wound unprocessed. Naming it honestly — with a therapist who gets it — is usually the first step toward relief.