Does everyone who goes through trauma get PTSD?

No. Most people who live through a frightening event recover over time. The WHO estimates that about 70% of people face a potentially traumatic event in their lives, but only about 5.6% of them go on to develop PTSD. Support from other people after the event is one of the things that helps.

How long after a traumatic event can PTSD start?

Symptoms usually begin soon after the event, often within three months, but they can appear months or even years later. To be diagnosed with PTSD, symptoms need to last longer than a month. Only a mental health professional can make the diagnosis.

What kinds of events can cause PTSD?

PTSD can follow any event where you or someone else faced death, serious injury or violence. Examples include accidents, natural disasters, assault, abuse, combat, the sudden death of a loved one, or witnessing harm to others. Earlier trauma, especially in childhood, raises the risk.

Which therapy is best for PTSD?

Trauma-focused talk therapies have the most research support. The VA's National Center for PTSD highlights Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). A trained therapist can help you choose the one that fits you.

Can children have PTSD?

Yes. Young children may wet the bed after being toilet trained, stop talking, act out the event in play or become unusually clingy. Older children and teens tend to show symptoms more like adults, and may also be disruptive, feel guilty or think about revenge.

Is PTSD only for veterans?

No. Veterans are more likely to have PTSD than civilians, but anyone can develop it, including survivors of accidents, disasters, abuse and assault. Women are about twice as likely as men to have PTSD at some point in their lives.

How do I support someone with PTSD without making it worse?

Let them decide how much to share, and listen without pushing for details. Learn about PTSD, be patient with their triggers, and invite them to calm, positive activities. Encourage treatment and offer to go along to appointments if that helps.

Can faith help with healing from trauma?

For many people, faith, prayer and a caring church are a real source of strength and belonging. They work best alongside trauma-focused treatment, not instead of it. A wise pastor will listen without rushing you toward forgiveness or 'moving on.'

Trauma and PTSD: what it is, how it feels, and how healing happens

Signs at a glance

Unwanted memories, nightmares or flashbacks of the event
Strong emotional or physical reactions to reminders
Avoiding people, places, conversations or thoughts linked to what happened
Feeling numb, detached or unable to feel happy
Guilt, shame or blaming yourself
Seeing the world as completely dangerous, or no one as trustworthy
Being easily startled, tense or always on guard
Trouble sleeping or concentrating
Irritability, angry outbursts or risky behavior
Losing interest in activities and pulling away from people

Everyone has some of these sometimes. What matters is how long they last, how strong they are, and whether they get in the way of daily life. Only a doctor or licensed counselor can diagnose. If you're worried, that's reason enough to ask.

Some things that happen to us don’t stay in the past. A crash, an assault, abuse, a disaster, combat, or watching someone get hurt can leave the body and mind stuck on high alert long after the danger is gone. If that is you, nothing is wrong with your character. Your brain is trying to protect you, and it can learn again that you are safe. This page explains trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and the treatments that help people heal.

What is trauma, and what is PTSD?

Trauma describes the impact of an event that was frightening, life-threatening or deeply harmful, whether it happened to you or you saw it happen to someone else. It can be a single event or something that went on for a long time, like abuse.

After a trauma, upsetting memories, feeling on edge and trouble sleeping are normal reactions. The VA’s National Center for PTSD says these usually improve within a few weeks.

PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop after a traumatic event, when those reactions don’t fade. According to NIMH, a person must have symptoms for longer than a month, and they must cause real distress or get in the way of daily life. Symptoms usually start within three months of the event, but they can appear months or years later, and they may come and go. Only a mental health professional can diagnose PTSD.

What does PTSD feel like?

The VA groups PTSD symptoms into four kinds:

Reliving the event. Unwanted memories, nightmares, or flashbacks that feel as if it is happening again. A sound, smell or place can set off a wave of fear, a racing heart or sweating.
Avoiding reminders. Staying away from people, places or situations linked to the event, or refusing to think or talk about it.
Negative changes in thoughts and feelings. Feeling numb, guilty or ashamed, blaming yourself, losing interest in things, gaps in memory about the event, or believing that the world is entirely dangerous and no one can be trusted.
Feeling on edge. Being jumpy and easily startled, always on guard, irritable or angry, struggling to sleep or focus, or doing risky things such as heavy drinking.

In young children, NIMH notes, trauma can show up as bedwetting after toilet training, losing speech, acting out the event in play, or clinging to a parent. Teens may become disruptive, feel guilty, or think about revenge.

PTSD often travels with depression, anxiety, substance use and sleep problems.

How common is PTSD?

About 6 out of every 100 people in the U.S. will have PTSD at some point in their lives, and about 5% of adults have it in a given year. In 2020, about 13 million Americans had PTSD (VA National Center for PTSD).
Women are about twice as likely as men to have PTSD in their lifetime: about 8% of women and 4% of men.
Worldwide, the WHO estimates that about 70% of people experience a potentially traumatic event, about 5.6% of them develop PTSD, and about 3.9% of the world’s population has had PTSD at some point.

Who is more likely to develop PTSD?

Most people who live through a dangerous event do not develop PTSD. Whether someone does depends on many things, none of which are their fault. NIMH lists these risk factors:

Earlier trauma, especially in childhood
Being hurt, or seeing other people hurt or killed
Feeling intense fear, horror or helplessness during the event
Having little or no support from others afterward
Extra stress afterward, such as losing a loved one, a job or a home
A personal or family history of mental illness or substance use

It also lists things that build resilience: support from friends, family or a support group; feeling at peace with how you acted during the event; having ways to cope; and being prepared to respond to upsetting events. Many of these are things a church community can offer.

How is PTSD treated?

The VA puts it simply: PTSD treatment works.

Trauma-focused talk therapy has the most research support. The VA highlights three: Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), which helps you examine and change painful beliefs about the trauma; Prolonged Exposure (PE), which helps you gradually and safely face memories and situations you’ve been avoiding; and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a structured way of processing traumatic memories with a trained therapist. The WHO names trauma-focused CBT and EMDR as having the strongest evidence. Therapy usually runs for 6 to 12 weeks or longer.
Medicine. Some antidepressants are approved for PTSD and can ease sadness, worry, anger and numbness. Other medicines may help with sleep problems or nightmares. A doctor can explain the options.
Self-care alongside treatment: keeping routines, getting regular exercise and sleep, avoiding alcohol and drugs, and practising ways to manage stress (WHO).

Telling your story to a trained therapist can feel frightening. Good trauma therapists go at a pace you can handle.

How can I support someone after trauma?

Believe them, and let them lead. Don’t press for details. Let them share what they choose, when they choose.
Be patient with triggers. Learn about PTSD and what sets off their reactions, and avoid surprises where you can.
Help them get care. Help them find a therapist trained in trauma, and offer to go with them to appointments. If symptoms aren’t improving after 6 to 8 weeks of treatment, encourage them to talk with their provider (NIMH).
Offer ordinary, steady presence. Walks, meals and normal routines help rebuild a sense of safety.
Look after yourself. Supporting someone through trauma is heavy. You need people too.

If the trauma involves ongoing abuse or violence, safety comes first. If someone is in danger, call 911.

When should I get help right away?

Get help now if you or someone you love is thinking about suicide or self-harm, is in danger, or is using alcohol or drugs to get through. Call or text 988; veterans and service members can dial 988 and press 1. You can also text HOME to 741741, or call 911 in an emergency. See Get help now for every option.

Faith and trauma

Trauma can shake faith to its roots. Some people find God close in the worst moment; others are left asking where he was. Both are found in scripture, and both are allowed in prayer. If harm came to you through a church or a church leader, your pain and anger are understandable, and you deserve to be believed and protected.

“He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds.” — Psalm 147:3 (WEB)

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” — 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (WEB)

Binding up a wound takes time and skilled hands, and healing from trauma is usually a process, not a moment. Trauma-focused therapy can be part of how God binds up wounds. Churches can help most by listening, believing survivors, and walking alongside them for the long haul, rather than rushing anyone toward forgiveness or “moving on.” Read more about faith and healing.