Fact or Cap
A person can experience trauma symptoms even if they don't remember the details of the event.
FACT
Someone hears a loud bang and immediately jumps, looks around, and becomes alert.
TRAUMA - the body can automatically react to something that feels threatening.
Someone starts shaking, breathing quickly, and looking around after hearing someone yell. What could be happening underneath?
Possible answers: Fear, anxiety, feeling unsafe, stress response.
When they were younger, adults often yelled when something bad was about to happen. Now, whenever someone raises their voice, their body immediately becomes alert. What might their brain associate yelling with?
DANGER
Your heart starts beating faster when you feel scared. What is your body preparing to do?
Prepare for action — like fighting, running, or responding quickly.
People only experience the "fight" response when they are angry.
CAP - people can experience fight, flight, freeze, or fawn when they are angry.
Someone becomes quiet and stops talking when an argument starts around them.
TRAUMA - shutting down when someone feels overwhelmed or unsafe could be a freeze trauma response.
Someone starts making jokes and laughing when a conversation becomes serious or emotional. What could be happening underneath?
Possible answers: Nervousness, discomfort, embarrassment, avoidance, not knowing how to handle the emotion.
When they were younger, they were frequently criticized or embarrassed when they made mistakes. Now, when someone points out a mistake, they immediately feel embarrassed and want to shut down.
What might their brain associate making mistakes with?
REJECTION / EMBARRASSMENT
Your hands become sweaty when you're nervous. Why might your body do this?
Sweating is part of the body's stress response and can help regulate body temperature when the body becomes activated.
The amygdala is responsible for making logical decisions.
CAP - The amygdala is responsible for identifying if there is a threat and you should be afraid (fear).
Someone gets extremely angry when another person raises their voice, even though the person isn't threatening them.
BOTH - their brain may associate yelling with danger based on previous experiences. Or, they could just not like when someone yells.
Someone becomes extremely angry when another person gives them criticism, even when the criticism isn't harsh. What could be happening underneath?
Possible answers: Feeling embarrassed, rejected, threatened, insecure, or afraid of disappointing someone.
When they were younger, arguments at home often ended with people leaving or disappearing for a while. Now, when someone says, “I'm leaving,” they become extremely anxious and try to stop them from going.
What might their brain associate someone leaving with?
ABANDONMENT / LOSING SOMEONE
Your muscles suddenly become tense when you feel threatened. Why?
Your body is preparing your muscles to react quickly — either to fight, run, or protect yourself.
Not getting enough sleep can affect mood, attention, reaction time, and decision-making.
FACT
Someone makes jokes and acts like they don't care whenever conversations become emotional or serious.
Could be both -- humor can sometimes be used to avoid uncomfortable emotions, but you can't know for sure. They could just be joking.
Someone constantly says “I don't care” whenever someone asks how they're feeling. What could be happening underneath?
Possible answers: They may actually care but feel uncomfortable being vulnerable, fear rejection, have difficulty identifying emotions, or use “I don't care” as a protective response.
When they were younger, asking adults for help sometimes resulted in being ignored, punished, or told they were a problem. Now, when they're struggling, they refuse to ask anyone for help—even when they really need it.
What might their brain associate asking for help with?
REJECTION / PUNISHMENT / BEING A BURDEN
Why might someone breathe faster when they're scared, even if they're not running?
The body is preparing for action by increasing oxygen availability and activating the stress response.
The body can have a stress response even when you know that you're safe.
FACT - your body has an alarm system in it and sometimes that alarm goes off even if you're actually safe. Think about a fire alarm. If it goes off because someone burned popcorn, the alarm is going off even though the building isn't on fire. That's why sometimes you can know or tell yourself that you're safe but still feel anxious, angry, or on edge. Your body just needs time to turn the alarm back off.
A youth repeatedly argues with staff, refuses directions, and becomes disrespectful whenever they feel like they're losing control of a situation. Staff members think the youth is simply “being difficult.”
Could be a trauma/stress response. Feeling powerless or out of control can activate a person's threat response, which may show up as fight behavior, such as arguing, defiance, or aggression.
Someone frequently argues with staff, refuses directions, and gets angry when staff try to help them. What could be happening underneath?
Possible answers: Feeling powerless, mistrust, fear of losing control, feeling misunderstood, embarrassment, difficulty with authority, previous experiences with adults, or simply frustration with the situation.
When they were younger, they had very little control over what happened to them. Now, whenever someone tells them exactly what they have to do, they immediately become angry, defensive, or feel like they need to fight back—even when the person isn't trying to hurt them.
What might their brain associate losing control with?
DANGER / POWERLESSNESS / THREAT
Why might your stomach hurt, feel “sick,” or feel like you have butterflies when you're nervous?
When your body enters a stress response, it temporarily shifts resources away from digestion toward systems needed for immediate action. This can affect your stomach and digestion.