Trauma and Toxic Stress

Exposure to Traumatic events or ongoing high levels of stress can have long term lasting effects on physical, mental, and emotional health and well being. Read more for an introduction to how trauma and toxic stress can impact many aspects of a person’s life.

Life Long Impacts

In the past, surviving a traumatic event was often seen as the successful end of this experience. Now we are beginning to understand that experiencing a traumatic event can result in long lasting changes as the result of living through trauma.  

The Past Affects the Present and Future

Traumatic events and resulting short- and long-term trauma responses can occur at any point in a person’s life. Trauma that happens to children while their brain is developing, has a magnified and significant impact on adult mental and physical health and adult life outcomes. Trauma repeated over time also has a magnified effect on the brain and/or physical health outcomes – this is called complex trauma. 

There are no rules regarding how trauma will impact a person, it is very individual and dependent on many variables. Click below to continue learning about the significant effects and long term consequences of Trauma and Toxic Stress with the Info Sheet: Trauma and Toxic Stress.

Featured: Connecting the dots between trauma and mental health, finding the building blocks for resilience.

Amanda Shawayahamish is Anishinabe and currently a student in her final year of her undergrad degree in First People’s studies at Concordia University.  Amanda’s father and grandparents are residential school survivors. In this video, Amanda shares her journey.

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Difference of Opinion

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