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We often think of trauma as something rare, something that happens to soldiers, survivors of major disasters, or people in the headlines. But trauma is far more common than we like to admit, and its effects are often invisible. It can stem from a single event or from years of chronic stress. It can live in the body long after the danger has passed, showing up as insomnia, anger, anxiety, or withdrawal. And for many, those symptoms become a silent, daily battle known as post-traumatic stress disorder.

What makes PTSD especially dangerous is how often it goes unrecognized, not just by others, but by those living through it. I’ve seen it firsthand in the world of emergency medicine: medics and firefighters pushing through pain until the cracks start to show. I’ve also seen the toll it takes when support systems aren’t in place.

This project matters to me because I believe we all need to better understand trauma, how to spot its symptoms, how to respond with empathy, and how to support healing. Recognizing trauma isn’t just the job of therapists or professionals. It’s a skill we all need. Because with knowledge and compassion, we can stop trauma from turning into lifelong harm.

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Here’s what I believe: Recognizing trauma, understanding the symptoms of PTSD, and learning how to cope aren’t just tools for survivors, they’re essential for everyone. Because when we know how trauma shows up, we’re better equipped to support ourselves and each other, especially in moments when grief, guilt, or memory threaten to take hold. This kind of awareness can be the difference between someone suffering in silence and someone beginning to heal.

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The best EMTs and Paramedics I know don’t speak about being heroes. They speak about chaos—about complicated injuries, split-second decisions, and the patients they couldn’t save.  I’ve seen strong, seasoned professionals come to the brink of tears recalling a single moment from decades ago. A face. A scream. A silence that followed.

This project includes a number of those stories. Stories from EMS providers who responded to traumatic events and found that the injuries didn’t end when the scene was cleared. These aren’t my stories, but they belong to people I care about deeply—friends, mentors, and colleagues I would trust with my life.

And while these experiences come from emergency medicine, trauma isn’t something only First Responders face. Anyone who’s lived through something life-altering—a car crash, a sudden death, violence, or even sustained emotional stress—can carry lasting psychological wounds. Trauma isn’t always dramatic. It can be quiet. It can be slow. And often, it’s invisible until it begins to affect sleep, relationships, or the ability to feel safe.

So how do we recognize a traumatic experience?
How can we learn to spot the ways it shows up in our lives, especially when we’ve been taught to push through it?
And what can we do—both as individuals and as a community—to reduce the harm trauma causes?

This project isn’t a guidebook. It won’t offer neat solutions. But in the stories that follow, you may find recognition, connection, and a reminder that trauma is deeply human—and so is the capacity to recover.

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Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has been a persistent yet poorly understood condition throughout human history (Friedman Va.gov: Veterans Affairs). From Ancient Greek accounts of warriors haunted by their experiences to 18th-century writings like those of Josef Leopold, who described “nostalgia” in soldiers exhibiting anxiety, insomnia, and depression, signs of psychological trauma have long been recognized but often misinterpreted. By World War I, the condition was labeled “shell shock,” initially believed to stem from physical brain injuries caused by nearby explosions. However, when soldiers without such exposure displayed similar symptoms, it became evident that the cause was psychological, not physical.

Despite these early observations, the treatment of PTSD remained deeply inadequate. During WWI, affected soldiers were typically given only brief rest periods before being sent back into combat, an approach now known to worsen the condition. Veterans were subjected to crude and often harmful therapies, such as electroshock and hypnosis, reflecting a limited understanding of trauma’s psychological roots.

Modern research has drastically reshaped our understanding of PTSD, revealing it as a chronic and complex stress disorder requiring long-term therapeutic intervention, including psychotherapy, medication, and removal from traumatic environments. The historical neglect and mistreatment of PTSD not only failed those who suffered from it but often exacerbated their psychological wounds.

Today, PTSD is recognized not just in military contexts but also among civilians, with widespread prevalence. Data indicates that approximately 8% of American women and 4% of men will experience PTSD at some point in their lives (Va.gov: Veterans Affairs), making it clear that this is not a rare affliction, but a common and serious public health issue. The evolution in understanding PTSD underscores how far we’ve come—and how critical it is to continue improving support for those affected.

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Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. While many people recover from trauma over time, PTSD develops when symptoms persist for more than a month and interfere with daily life (Mayo Clinic Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)). Early treatment can significantly help reduce symptoms and improve functioning.

PTSD symptoms can begin within months of a traumatic experience, but in some cases, they may not appear until years later. These symptoms are typically long-lasting and can vary in intensity, especially when triggered by reminders of the trauma or during periods of stress.

PTSD symptoms are generally grouped into four main categories:

1. Intrusive Memories

Recurring, unwanted memories of the event

Flashbacks (reliving the trauma as if it’s happening again)

Disturbing dreams or nightmares

Emotional or physical distress when reminded of the trauma

2. Avoidance

Avoiding thoughts, feelings, conversations, or reminders of the trauma

Staying away from people, places, or activities associated with the event

3. Negative Changes in Thinking and Mood

Persistent negative thoughts about oneself, others, or the world

Feelings of guilt, shame, anger, or fear

Memory problems related to the traumatic event

Feeling detached from loved ones or emotionally numb

Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed

Difficulty experiencing positive emotions

4. Changes in Physical and Emotional Reactions (Arousal Symptoms)

Being easily startled or always on edge

Irritability, angry outbursts, or aggressive behavior

Sleep disturbances and trouble concentrating

Risky or self-destructive behaviors (e.g., reckless driving, substance use)

Physical symptoms like sweating, shaking, or a rapid heartbeat

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Fresh out of paramedic school, she had barely settled into her new uniform when the weight of the job began to crush her. Her first few weeks included a string of horrifying calls—an elderly man collapsing in front of his wife, a mangled car on the side of the highway, the stillness of a young man who had turned a gun on himself.

The days bled into nights without rest. She found herself retreating into silence, skipping out on invitations from coworkers. Concerned friends reached out asking if she was okay, but what could she say? It was easier to be alone. When she tried to talk about it with her family, they didn’t understand. “You knew what you were signing up for,” they said.

The dread crept in slowly. Every shift felt like walking into a storm she couldn’t see coming. Her stomach twisted on the way to work. At home, she scrolled endlessly through social media, letting the noise fill the quiet. Movies played in the background while she drank just enough to fall asleep without dreaming.

She didn’t see the red flags at first. The irritability. The fatigue that rest didn’t fix. The guilt that clung to her like smoke. She thought she was just tired, maybe weak—after all, the others seemed to be handling it. What was wrong with her?

It took time—and a moment of clarity in the middle of one sleepless night—to realize she wasn’t weak. She was hurt.

She reached out. A psychiatrist helped her find a medication that eased the tension in her chest and gave her back some peace. Therapy became a place to unpack the chaos, to name the ghosts that haunted her and give them rest. She learned that healing wasn’t about forgetting the things she’d seen. It was about making space for life around them.

There are still hard days, but now, she meets them with tools, with support, with hope. And she’s learning—slowly, steadily—that survival is not the same as healing. But it’s a start.

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A study headed by Henrik Kessler and the

Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy explored a novel, simple intervention to reduce intrusive memories (Kessler Visuospatial computer game play after memory reminder delivered three days after a traumatic film reduces the number of intrusive memories of the experimental trauma), a core symptom of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Researchers tested whether playing the visuospatial game Tetris after a memory reminder task could decrease trauma-related intrusions, even when the intervention occurred three days after exposure to a traumatic film.

This study is important because it highlights a simple, non-invasive, and accessible way to reduce intrusive memories, which are among the most distressing and disruptive symptoms of PTSD. Intrusive memories can impair daily functioning, increase emotional distress, and make recovery from trauma more difficult. Traditional trauma treatments often require multiple therapy sessions, trained clinicians, and may be emotionally intense or costly. In contrast, this study suggests that a brief, game-based cognitive task—specifically combining a memory reminder with Tetris gameplay—can significantly reduce the frequency of intrusions even days after a traumatic experience.

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After 25 years on the job, she was training to become a Field Captain—a leadership role that placed her in charge of a dozen ambulances, their crews, and every patient they touched. It was a position of trust, of authority. But with it came a new kind of pressure—heavier, more abstract—and it affected her in ways she hadn’t expected.

The stress didn’t just live in the present; it reached backwards. Old memories she thought were long buried began clawing their way to the surface. Bad calls she had once made peace with now came back in vivid detail. She told me about the father who screamed at her, convinced she had let his son die. The way his grief turned to blame, and how that blame still echoed in her mind.

Now, in the quiet hours of the night, she sometimes wakes up in cold sweats. Her heart racing. Her breath shallow. The faces of the families—people she never really knew—haunt her thoughts. She wonders if they still think of her, if they remember her as the one who didn’t save their loved one. It’s not guilt she feels exactly. It’s doubt. A whispering question that asks: Did I do enough?

She had fought these demons before, years ago, and believed she had won. But trauma has a way of waiting. It doesn’t disappear; it changes shape. And when new stress cracks the foundation, the past finds a way in.

She’s learning again what she once knew well: that healing isn’t a one-time event. It’s a lifelong process. You don’t outrun your past. You learn to live beside it—and with help, you learn not to fear its return.

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When you're feeling overwhelmed, which coping skills do you reach for first?

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Creative outlet (includes emotional release or sharing with others)

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Mindfulness & Grounding (inward-focused, calming tools)

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Comfort & Distractions (focuses on shifting attention or self-soothing)

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Movement & Environment (engaging with the body or surroundings)

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Understanding Post Traumatic Growth and Healing

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Understanding Post Traumatic Growth and Healing

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“People develop new understandings of themselves, the world they live in, how to relate to other people, the kind of future they might have and a better understanding of how to live life” - Richard Tedeschi

After surviving a brutal terrorist attack, Kay Wilson transformed her trauma into a mission of healing and outreach. Her journey exemplifies post-traumatic growth, or PTG, which is a psychological shift that can occur after experiencing deep adversity. PTG is different from resilience. While resilience refers to the ability to recover quickly, PTG often comes from struggling deeply and re-evaluating core beliefs. Developed by psychologists Richard Tedeschi and Lawrence Calhoun, PTG includes five key areas of positive change. These are a deeper appreciation for life, improved relationships, discovering new possibilities, increased personal strength, and spiritual or existential change.

Not everyone will experience PTG, but it is both common and possible. Research shows that people who are open to new experiences, who seek social connection, and who are willing to reflect on the meaning of their trauma are more likely to grow through it. Clinical approaches and programs such as Boulder Crest Retreat are helping trauma survivors, especially veterans, turn their pain into purpose. They focus on rediscovering meaning, building community, and setting goals for a more fulfilling future. (Collier Growth After Trauma)

Active Steps to Support Trauma Recovery and Encourage Post-Traumatic Growth:

1. Acknowledge the struggle. Growth often happens after a person fully recognizes and processes their pain. Avoiding or minimizing suffering can prevent healing.

2. Seek support. Relationships with trusted friends, family, or support groups are key in providing perspective and emotional strength.

3. Engage in meaning-making. Reflect on personal values, purpose, and life priorities. This helps transform trauma into a source of insight and direction.

4. Take purposeful action. Get involved in helping others, volunteering, or pursuing goals that bring a sense of fulfillment and impact.

5. Work with trauma-informed professionals. Therapists who understand PTG can guide survivors through their journey toward lasting growth and well-being.

6. Allow time. PTG is not immediate. It is a gradual process that often takes months or even years. Be patient and compassionate with yourself or others going through it.

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Trauma may begin in a single moment, but its effects ripple outward, often silently, for months or years. As this project has shown, PTSD isn’t rare or isolated. It affects millions, first responders, veterans, survivors of violence, and everyday people whose lives were split into “before” and “after.” The common thread is this: without recognition, trauma festers. But with recognition comes the possibility of healing.

Recognizing trauma isn’t about diagnosing others, it’s about noticing when something isn’t right. It’s about understanding that symptoms like anger, withdrawal, insomnia, or hypervigilance may be signs of someone struggling, not failing. It’s about realizing that strength and suffering often coexist, and that asking for help is not weakness, it’s wisdom.

We now know that people can not only survive trauma but grow from it. Through support, therapy, community, and time, recovery is possible. But that journey starts with awareness. By learning to identify trauma, understand PTSD, and share effective coping tools, we can be better friends, better providers, and better humans.

The people in these stories are still healing. Some have found peace. Others are still searching. But in telling their truths, they remind us: healing is hard, but it’s possible. And no one should have to face it alone.

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Any responder can tell you the kind of call they dread most. For those with a history of depression, it’s the suicide calls. For parents, it’s the calls involving sick or injured children. But above all else, the most devastating call is the one involving one of our own. What is normally a job becomes deeply personal—intimate and overwhelming.

One paramedic was given the impossible task: to resuscitate a fellow responder, a dear friend. Years ago, she had been his mentor. Now, she found herself in his home, trying desperately to bring him back. She remembers everything, but what stuck with her the most was his bedroom, the way the light fell across the room, the exact position he was lying in. That moment is seared into her memory.

She told me about the funeral, how it was designed to resemble his bedroom. For the family, this was a loving tribute. The alarm clock, the bedsheets, the childhood stuffed animals. They were tokens of his life, carefully arranged around the church. But for the crew that had responded that day, it was something else entirely. It was like being transported back into a nightmare. She said it felt cruel, like stepping onto the stage of a scene that had already shattered her. Her heart pounded as she entered, her body remembering what her mind had tried to forget. She couldn’t stay. She stepped outside, trembling.

And yet, she wasn’t alone.

More than 400 responders came from across the state. The church overflowed with people—Chiefs, Sergeants, Firefighters, Rangers—many couldn’t even fit inside. They lined the streets, shoulder to shoulder, silent in solidarity. Ambulances, fire engines, police cruisers, even helicopters flew overhead in tribute. The parade of vehicles stretched for blocks, a powerful testament to shared loss.

In that sea of uniforms, grief was a common language. But so was support. The community didn’t just mourn, they showed up. For the family, yes. But also for the responders who had carried the weight of that day, who now carried the burden of memory. It was a collective act of healing, a way to say: You are not alone in your sorrow.

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Collier, Lorna. “Growth After Trauma.” Monitor on Psychology, American Psychological Association, Nov. 2016, www.apa.org/monitor/2016/11/growth-trauma.

Friedman, Matthew J. “Va.Gov: Veterans Affairs.” History of PTSD in Veterans: Civil War to DSM-5, 17 Aug. 2018, www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/what/history_ptsd.asp.

Kessler, Henrik. “Visuospatial Computer Game Play after Memory Reminder Delivered Three Days after a Traumatic Film Reduces the Number of Intrusive Memories of the Experimental Trauma.” Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, U.S. National Library of Medicine, June 2020, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31036259/.

“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 16 Aug. 2024, www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967.

Quinn, Deborah. “Types of Trauma: 7 Common Types and Their Impacts.” Sandstone Care, 5 Feb. 2025, www.sandstonecare.com/blog/types-of-trauma/.

“Va.Gov: Veterans Affairs.” How Common Is PTSD in Adults?, 13 Sept. 2018, www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_adults.asp.