. For example, they’re often the reason why some people find themselves feeling ‘a bit off’ – while it might feel like there’s no reason to feel unhappy, anxious or overwhelmed, these background traumas can take their toll.
“What I noticed was that I would have so many clients come to me feeling ashamed or embarrassed about being there because things weren’t ‘that bad’,” Dr Arroll continues. “I knew from when I was an academic that those smaller traumas have been shown, in some cases, to be even more influential to someone’s psychological and physical health than the big T traumas.
“So while, if we were to think about trauma and mental health on a spectrum, big T traumas would be on one end and tiny t traumas would be on the other, it’s when they build up that they become harmful. And we need to acknowledge that.”According to Dr Arroll, tiny t traumas can stem from all areas of your life – whether that be societal, social or cultural.
“If these things happened once or twice in our lifetimes, then it wouldn’t be such a big deal,” Dr Arroll says. “But when we get these messages every day – from, for example – there’s this underlying influence telling you that you’re not good enough and there’s something wrong with you.” Other examples of common tiny t traumas Dr Arroll points to include being made to feel like the odd one out, microaggressions – especially in the workplace – and being undermined or made to feel ‘less than’ by a friend or acquaintance. Dealing with instability –Tiny t traumas can take a toll on your mental health in a number of ways., they can still leave you feeling less than OK.