Professor of clinical neurobiology and psychiatry, she leaves a personal reflection that combines lived experience with a psychological perspective.
The growing tendency to classify a wide range of difficult experiences as “trauma” may be changing the way people understand adversity, memory and recovery.
Yael M. Cycowicz, professor of clinical neurobiology and psychiatry, leaves a personal reflection that combines lived experience with a psychological perspective.
The author recalls not having been evacuated with her daughter in a helicopter rescue during severe floods in the Swiss Alps, on a trip that should have just been a family summer vacation.
The dramatic scene unfolded at the same time as Hurricane Katrina was devastating parts of the United States. This contrast reinforced his interest in psychological trauma and the way memory influences whether people remain vulnerable to suffering or, conversely, reveal resilience.
The article points out that the word “trauma” comes from ancient Greek and means “wound”, originally referring only to physical injuries. Its psychological meaning emerged at the end of the 19th century and gained greater prominence from the 1970s onwards, mainly in connection with ex-combatants. Since then, the term’s use has expanded significantly, increasingly entering everyday language to describe a wide range of upsetting or stressful situations.
According to the author, this enlargement use of the word runs the risk of dilute the concept.
Historically, psychological trauma referred to overwhelming experiences, such as war, assault, natural disasters, or life-threatening dangers — events that can destroy a person’s sense of security and stability.
Today, however, the label is often applied to situations that would previously have been described simply as stressful, painful or difficult, from exams to romantic breakups or life disappointments.
This linguistic change, argues the author, is not irrelevant. The way people describe and remember events can shape your emotional response.
Framing common difficulties as trauma can, in some cases, foster fragility rather than resiliencereinforcing a feeling of vulnerability rather than supporting recovery. On the other hand, seeing some struggles as challenges can open up more space for adaptation, growth and meaning-making.
The reflection highlights that Not all trauma is the same.
The most harmful experiences are often chronic, prolonged, or rooted in childhood, when people have little ability to protect themselves or understand what is happening.
Individual factors, such as temperament, biology and personal history, matter, but culture also plays an important role, especially when societies come to expect linear, predictable lives with almost no discomfort.
The family’s experience during the floods in Switzerland is presented as an example of how memory can be shaped over time. Faced with separation, uncertainty and fear, the author focused on keeping her children calm. Still, when they returned home, he presented the ordeal as an adventure. Years later, the children, now adults, did not remember the fear, but the helicopter trip — as a moment of wonder.
