Trauma is trauma

You ever have one of those days where you receive a message that feels like it is aimed directly at you? Yup. That’s me today.

I’ve been working with an ADHD counsellor since my diagnosis. This has really helped me hone in on why I struggle with some of the things I struggle with. In this weeks session I managed to drag out a “small” and “insignificant” – my words – trauma from my professional life. It’s honestly all I’ve been able to think about for the last 24 hours though. I’m guessing that means that I’m wildly downplaying the affect that it’s had on me. Downplaying how much one persons words and actions have harmed me and changed the way I see myself at work.

Enter impostor syndrome!

Or not, because… well this is not about me. I’ll save all that for a later post.

This is about one my heroes, Kevin Smith. As if by some sort of wild serendipity, this video showed up in one of my social feeds this morning. The basic gist is that Kevin has recently had a “complete break from reality”, leading to him spending a month in a specialist mental health facility. This video is him very openly telling this story. It’s about his discovery of who he really is. It’s about how trauma – no matter how “small” or “insignificant” – is still trauma. It still affects us physiologically in exactly the same way that (what we perceive as) “big” trauma does.

I love this guy. I always have. And I salute the bravery it takes to stand up and tell this tale. I for one have been deeply touched by his words, and I hope that someone else sees this post and gets the help they need.