Yes, witnessing violence or abuse, especially against someone you love, can be traumatic. Complex trauma is trauma that develops from repeated, ongoing, or inescapable experiences and changes how a person sees themselves, other people, and the world.
Repeated exposure to violence or abuse can teach a child that they are never safe and that others cannot be trusted. The helplessness, anticipation, and chronic fear surrounding these repeated events can be overwhelming to a child’s nervous system. A child may also begin to believe that they are powerless, responsible for protecting others, or unable to stop bad things from happening
This page is part of the What Counts as Trauma? section of the CommuniDID site, which explains how trauma can occur without obvious violence and why survivors often doubt or normalize what happened to them.
Explore more:
- Questions about What Counts as Trauma?
- The guide What Counts as Abuse? helps readers evaluate past experiences and understand why confusion about abuse is common.
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