I have rounded up the best trauma quotes and sayings that will provide insight and encouragement, and serve as a reminder that survivors are not alone in their struggles.
Going through stressful, frightening, and distressing events is sometimes called trauma.
Trauma quotes are statements that help to articulate and validate the feelings of those who have experienced traumatic events in life.
Trauma is an experience that can have a profound impact on a person’s life. It can leave emotional and psychological scars that may last for years, even a lifetime.
It can be caused by a wide range of events, from physical or emotional abuse to natural disasters, accidents, or the death of a loved one.
Coping with trauma is a challenging process, but it is possible to heal and move forward with life.
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Trauma can have a profound impact on an individual’s life, often leading to a range of negative physical, emotional, and psychological symptoms.
These changes may include symptoms such as anxiety, depression, anger, and irritability, as well as changes in behavior, relationships, and worldview.
For those who have not experienced trauma, these meaningful quotes can help to build empathy and encourage greater support and awareness of the issue.
Trauma Quotes To Help You Understand Better
- “Trauma can have a masking effect.” – Asa Don Brown
- “When angry, count to four; when very angry, swear.” – Mark Twain
- “I wish my head could forget what my eyes have seen.” – Dave Parnell
- “Trauma comes back as a Reaction, not a Memory.” – Bessel Van Der Kolk
- “I think it’s difficult to forget things that are unresolved.” – Chris Van Allsburg
- “Trauma is hell on earth. Trauma resolved is a gift from the Gods.” – Peter A. Levine
- “Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence.” – Peter A. Levine
- “If you never heal from what hurt you, then you’ll bleed on people who did not cut you.” – Unknown
- “Unlike other forms of psychological disorders, the core issue in trauma is reality.” – Bessel A. van der Kolk
- “Delusional pain hurts just as much as pain from actual trauma. So what if it’s all in your head?” – Octavia E. Butler
- “Traumatic experiences in early childhood may interfere with the child’s ability to securely attach.” – Asa Don Brown
- “The paradox of trauma is that it has both the power to destroy and the power to transform and resurrect.” – Peter A. Levine
- “There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.” – Laurell K. Hamilton
- “Most people have no imagination. If they could imagine the sufferings of others, they would not make them suffer so.” – Anna Funder
- “Trauma is perhaps the most avoided, ignored, belittled, denied, misunderstood, and untreated cause of human suffering.” – Peter Levine
- “A lot of people who have experienced trauma at the hands of people they’ve trusted take responsibility, and that is what’s toxic.” – Hannah Gadsby
- “Trauma is personal. It does not disappear if it is not validated. When it is ignored or invalidated the silent screams continue internally heard only by the one held captive.” – Danielle Bernock
- “Childhood trauma can range from having faced extreme violence and neglect to having confronted feelings of not belonging, being unwanted, or being chronically misunderstood.” – Arielle Schwartz
- “Our brain and body become addicted to the feelings associated with our trauma and our worst day because they have been firing more than any other feeling.” – Kenny Weiss, Your Journey To Success
Quotes About Childhood Trauma And Healing
Healing from trauma involves reclaiming a sense of safety, stability, and control in one’s life.
Also See: Healing Quotes
This can be an empowering process, allowing individuals to move beyond the effects of past childhood trauma and towards a more fulfilling life.
- “What we change inwardly will change outer reality.” – Plutarch
- “Hold yourself back, or heal yourself back together. You decide.” – Brittany Burgunder
- “Would they be cheered by their recovery, or marked for life by their trauma?” – Dan Wells
- “Wounds won’t heal the way you want them to, they heal the way they need to.” – Dele Olanubi
- “You don’t have to preserve your pain in order to prove that it was real.” – Brittany Burgunder
- “Heartache purged layers of baggage I didn’t know I carried. Gifts hide under the layers of grief.” – Shauna L Hoey
- “Trauma creates change you don’t choose. Healing is about creating change you do choose.” – Michelle Rosenthal
- “Sometimes the people around you won’t understand your journey. They don’t need to, it’s not for them.” – Joubert Botha
- “I’m still coping with my trauma, but coping by trying to find different ways to heal it rather than hide it.” – Clemantine Wamariya
- “To live in the body of a survivor is to never be able to leave the scene of the crime. I cannot ignore the fact that I live here.” – Blythe Baird
- “One day you will tell your story of how you overcame what you went through and it will be someone else’s survival guide.” – Unknown
- “Your external world mirrors your internal state. Heal the parts of you that need your attention or you will forever live out your pain for all to see.” – Dana Hall LCPC
- “When we become an expert in our trauma history and know how we self-victimize and drop into denial, we have an opportunity to create a new reality with a new neural pathway in our brain.” – Kenny Weiss
- “Healing from trauma can also mean strength and joy. The goal of healing is not a papering-over of changes in an effort to preserve or present things as normal. It is to acknowledge and wear your new life – warts, wisdom, and all – with courage.” – Catherine Woodiwiss
- “Even in times of trauma, we try to maintain a sense of normality until we no longer can. That, my friends, is called surviving. Not healing. We never become whole again-we are survivors. If you are here today, you are a survivor. But those of us who have made it through hell and are still standing? We bear a different name: warriors.” – Lori Goodwin
PTSD Quotes to Help Survivors Cope with Trauma
The effects of trauma can be complex and varied, and can manifest in a wide range of symptoms and behaviors, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, and self-harm.
Trauma can also have physical effects, such as chronic pain, fatigue, and autoimmune disorders.
These quotes will help to normalize the experiences of survivors and offer a sense of hope and comfort.
- “Your trauma does not define You, but your survival does.” – Trisha.J
- “Don’t let the traumas of the past haunt your future. Let go, heal, and move on.” – Trisha.J
- “Surviving a trauma is like healing a wound. The pain goes away, but the scar remains.” – Trisha.J
- “Childhood traumas are just a chapter of your life, not your book of life.” – T.J
- “Post-traumatic stress injury isn’t a disease. It’s a wound to the soul that never heals.” – Tom Glenn
- “Instead of being ashamed of what you’ve been through, be proud of what you have overcome.” – Dr. Phil
- “Punishing someone for PTSD is like punishing someone for cancer. The answer is love and protection.” – Unknown
- “You wake up every morning to fight the same demons that left you so tired the night before, and that, my love, is bravery.” – Unknown
- “PTSD is a whole-body tragedy, an integral human event of enormous proportions with massive repercussions.” – Susan Pease Banitt
- “I did not ask for the things I’ve been through. And I certainly didn’t ask my mind to paint and repaint the pictures back in flashback form.” – Michelle Groth
- “When you’re going through these difficult times of chaos and trauma, the most important thing is to keep those who are closest to you together.” – Michael Imperioli
- “Always remember, if you have been diagnosed with PTSD, it is not a sign of weakness; rather, it is proof of your strength, because you have survived!” – Michel Templet
- “PTSD nightmares aren’t always exact replays of the event. Sometimes they replay the emotions you felt during the event, such as fear, helplessness, and sadness.” – Alice Cariv
- “After a traumatic experience, the human system of self-preservation seems to go onto permanent alert, as if the danger might return at any moment.” – Judith Lewis Herman
- “There is no timestamp on trauma. There isn’t a formula that you can insert yourself into to get from horror to healed. Be patient. Take up space. Let your journey be the balm.” – Dawn Serra
- “Repeated trauma requires you to create a system of defenses that protects you. And these protections were so important. They saved your life. They protected your real self.” – Gretchen L. Schmelzer
- “Someone who has experienced trauma also has gifts to offer all of us – in their depth, their knowledge of our universal vulnerability, and their experience of the power of compassion.” – Sharon Salzberg
- “You have to understand that PTSD has to be an event that you experience, a very traumatic event.” – Dale Archer
Sad Traumatic Quotes To Overcome It
Some quotes may be raw and unfiltered, reflecting the intense emotions and pain that often accompany trauma.
The impact of these comforting words is often transformative and unexpected in nature.
Others may be more reflective and philosophical, offering a broader perspective on the nature of trauma and the process of healing.
- “Being able to survive doesn’t mean it was ever okay.” – Unknown
- “I can’t apologize for the way my traumas have changed me.” – Unknown
- “Your trauma is not your fault, but your healing is your responsibility.” – Unknown
- “It is only in sorrow bad weather masters us; in joy, we face the storm and defy it.” – Amelia Barr
- “A great loss brings up an emotional storm that opens up a hidden reservoir of childhood pain.” – Pete Walker
- “Traumatic stress can spread to anyone with whom the sufferers share their lives. Trauma begets trauma.” – Shaili Jain
- “I won’t let pain, turn my heart into something ugly. I will show you that surviving can be beautiful.” – Christy Ann Martine
- “When people have been traumatized, they are stuck in paralysis-the immobility reaction or abrupt explosions of rage.” – Peter A. Levine
- “Our brains are wired for connection, but trauma rewires them for protection. That’s why healthy relationships are difficult for wounded people.” – Ryan North
- “Am I awake or dreaming? It doesn’t matter anymore. When I close my eyes I dream of death and war. When I open my eyes I see death and war.” – Michael Anthony
- “Trauma fractures comprehension as a pebble shatters a windshield.” – Jane Leavy
- “This version of me wasn’t built overnight. This is experience. This is pain. This is insecurities. This is abuse. This is depression. I had to go through things to get to the level I’m at now.” – Unknown
- “A note to anyone who needs to hear it: We don’t “get over” or “move on” from our trauma. We are forced to make space for it. We carry it. We learn to live with it. And, sometimes we thrive in spite of it.” – Unknown
- “Some of us have been through things so traumatic that the human mind isn’t built to handle but we fight and persevere every single day and night. If that’s not strength I don’t what is. You are a survivor.” – Unknown
- “A trigger is anything that sets you off emotionally and activates memories of your trauma. It’s particular to you and what your experience has been. Triggered, we revert to the feelings and behaviors we had in the traumatizing situation.” – Unknown
- “A girl who has lived through trauma has lived through a situation where her body, her mind, her self was not her own. Where she felt disjointed, ripped from herself, safety, and sanity. It was a moment, an experience, a something where her trust was smashed, her worth was gone and all there was pain.” – Unknown
Overall, trauma quotes address the importance of dealing with this issue with care and compassion.
Whether you are a survivor yourself or seeking to support someone who has experienced trauma, these quotes can be a valuable resource for fostering healing and resilience.
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In many cases, quotes about trauma can serve as a starting point for deeper reflection and understanding.
They may provide a new perspective or offer a sense of clarity that helps individuals begin to process their experiences in a meaningful way.
Ultimately, quotes about trauma can help individuals find strength, courage, and hope as they navigate the path to healing.
If we have missed some quotes, share them with us in the comment section below and we shall be happy to add them to the list.
If you think you can relate to these motivational quotes feel free to spread your feelings and share them with friends and family on Pinterest, Facebook, Tumblr, Instagram, Twitter, and more
