What’s the Difference Between a Crisis and Trauma?
When something overwhelming happens, it can be hard to make sense of what you are feeling. You might hear words like crisis or trauma, but not always know how they are different or why that difference matters. Understanding how your nervous system responds to stress can be an important step toward healing. This article explores the difference between crisis and trauma and outlines three primary types of trauma that may shape our lives in both visible and invisible ways.
Crisis vs. Trauma
Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, crisis and trauma refer to different kinds of experiences. Understanding that difference can help you access the kind of care and support that will actually help.
Crisis:
An intense, destabilizing event that overwhelms an individual's ability to cope in the moment (Herman, 1997)
Often time-limited, with a clear beginning, middle, and end
Can escalate to life-threatening if not effectively managed (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)
Requires immediate intervention to stabilize and restore safety
Trauma:
A deeply distressing or disturbing experience that disrupts the nervous system and has long-term psychological, emotional, and physical impacts (Levine, 1997)
May result in lasting changes to brain function, emotional regulation, and physical health
Can create lasting alterations to the stress response system, including hypervigilance and avoidance behaviors (Schore, 2003)
Often requires long-term processing and support to fully resolve
Both crises and trauma can activate the body’s survival systems. The difference is that trauma does not always stop when the event ends. Its effects can linger in the nervous system, in relationships, and in one’s sense of self. People can experience the same event, and have very different reactions. One individual may move through it with minimal disruption, another may experience it as a crisis, and someone else may experience it as trauma.
Trauma can be understood as the body’s natural response to an overwhelming experience. It often arises when something threatens your sense of safety or well-being, whether that threat is real or perceived. Rather than processing the event and returning to baseline, the nervous system becomes disrupted. This interruption can affect psychological, emotional, and physical functioning, sometimes leading to long-term symptoms. Over time, trauma may even create inflammation along inherited stress pathways, impacting not just how someone feels in the moment but how their body continues to respond over time (Levine, 1997).
The Types of Trauma
There are many ways trauma can impact someone. Not all trauma looks the same. Below are three primary categories that are often used in trauma-informed care.
Type I Trauma: Single-Incident Shock
Type I trauma results from a one-time event such as a natural disaster, car accident, or medical emergency. When left unprocessed, these events can lead to panic symptoms, phobias, or emotional reactivity (Terr, 1990).
Type II Trauma: Developmental or Relational
This type involves repeated, predictable, but unavoidable exposure to harm. It includes situations like childhood abuse, neglect, or witnessing domestic violence. Type II trauma often results in disrupted attachment patterns and difficulty with trust, emotional regulation, and self-worth (Terr, 1990).
Type III Trauma: Complex Trauma
Complex trauma is a combination of type I and II, and often involves prolonged exposure to multiple types of traumatic events and harm across time and systems (Terr, 1990). People who have experienced war, lived in unsafe environments, or faced chronic oppression may carry the effects of complex trauma. These experiences may influence how they see the world, relate to others, and understand themselves (Solomon & Heide, 1999).
Other Forms of Trauma
In addition to these three primary types, trauma may also show up in other ways that are just as important to recognize:
Secondary or Vicarious Trauma: The impact from witnessing another others’ trauma, often experienced by therapists, advocates, or caregivers (Figley, 1995).
Tertiary Trauma: Indirect exposure through media or secondhand accounts (Briere & Scott, 2012).
Shared Trauma: Collective distress that impacts entire groups or communities, such as mass shootings, pandemics, or community violence (Bloom & Farragher, 2012).
Intergenerational and Cultural Trauma: Historical and systemic harm, including colonization and displacement, that continues to impact communities and families today (Anderson et al., 2006).
Transgenerational Trauma: Unresolved trauma passed through family systems and nervous system responses across generations (Schore, 2003).
Why These Distinctions Matter
Being able to name what you are experiencing can be a turning point. Trauma is not just something that happens to the mind. It can live in the body, in your breath, in your ability to connect with others, and in how you perceive safety or threat in the world. When we begin to understand what kind of pain we are holding, we can begin to explore what healing might look like.
Therapy provides a space to reconnect with a sense of safety, self, and meaning. Whether you are moving through a recent experience or carrying something long unspoken, healing is possible.
Moving Toward Healing
If this article resonates with you, you are not alone. Many people carry trauma without realizing it. Whether you are currently in crisis, noticing familiar patterns of trauma, or simply feeling curious about your own healing, support is available. Therapy can offer a space to reconnect with your body, understand how past experiences may be affecting your present, and begin building new patterns rooted in safety, connection, and meaning.
Whether you are ready to begin or are still exploring your options, you are welcome to reach out. Finding the right therapist is a meaningful step, and that may involve working together or connecting with someone who feels like the best fit for your healing process.
At Sage & Summit, in-person sessions are available in West Hollywood, serving Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and nearby communities. Telehealth is available throughout California.
Want to learn more? Schedule a free consultation or visit the Articles & Resources page for additional tools and support.
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). American Psychiatric Publishing.
Anderson, J. F., Boyd-Franklin, N., & Kelly, S. (2006). Racism and invisibility: Race-related stress, emotional abuse, and psychological trauma for people of color. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 6(2–3), 151–171.
Bloom, S. L., & Farragher, B. (2012). Restoring sanctuary: A new operating system for trauma-informed systems of care. Oxford University Press.
Briere, J., & Scott, C. (2012). Principles of trauma therapy: A guide to symptoms, evaluation, and treatment (2nd ed.). Sage Publications.
Figley, C. R. (1995). Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized. Brunner/Mazel.
Herman, J. L. (1997). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence—from domestic abuse to political terror. Basic Books.
Levine, P. (1997). Waking the tiger: Healing trauma. North Atlantic Books.
Schore, A. N. (2003). Affect regulation and the repair of the self. W. W. Norton & Company.
Solomon, E. P., & Heide, K. M. (1999). Type III trauma: Toward a more effective conceptualization of psychological trauma. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 43(2), 202–210.
Terr, L. C. (1990). Too scared to cry: Psychic trauma in childhood. Harper & Row.
About the Author
Jennifer Kiehl, MA (she/her) is a Marriage and Family Therapist and Professional Clinical Counselor based in Los Angeles, California. She provides therapy to individuals, couples, and families in both private practice and community mental health settings. Her work is grounded in humanistic values and draws from modalities including Adlerian, Gestalt, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Gottman Method, Existential, Narrative, and Expressive Arts therapies.
Jennifer specializes in working with creatives, athletes, and members of the LGBTGEQIAP+ community, with a focus on trauma healing and identity development. Her clinical and research interests include athlete mental health, creative and experiential approaches in therapy and counselor education, multiculturally grounded trauma-informed care and supervision, and reducing heteronormative bias in couples assessment and treatment.
In addition to her clinical work, Jennifer is an Adjunct Professor in the Counseling Department at Palo Alto University, where she is also pursuing her PhD in Counselor Education and Supervision. She is committed to advancing inclusive, relational, and responsive practices in therapy and counselor training.