Do I Have Trauma?

Answer these questions for more information.

Many people experience trauma at some point in their lives, but it can be hard to shake the effects of it, even years after it’s occurred. If you’re wondering if you’re dealing with any unresolved trauma, this quiz may be able to help.

By answering a few questions, we may be able to help you understand if you’re dealing with unresolved trauma.

Click “Start Quiz” to begin.

Quizzes Are More Fun With Friends

Share this quiz with your friends and compare results.

Questions Overview

1. Would you say you feel very different from other people?
  1. Yes, definitely
  2. Yes, somewhat
  3. Not really
  4. Not at all
2. Your childhood memories are mostly:
  1. Positive
  2. Negative
  3. Both positive and negative
  4. I don’t remember
3. Do you have difficulty concentrating?
  1. Yes, all the time
  2. Yes, frequently
  3. Sometimes
  4. Not very often
4. True or false: “I feel like I can’t even trust my own instincts and emotions.”
  1. Definitely true
  2. Mostly true
  3. Mostly false
  4. Definitely false
5. True or false: “I am usually anxious and stressed out, even when there’s nothing ‘wrong.’”
  1. Definitely true
  2. Mostly true
  3. Mostly false
  4. Definitely false
6. Would you say you struggle with depression?
  1. Definitely
  2. Probably
  3. Probably not
  4. Definitely not
7. True or false: “It is hard to trust the people around me.”
  1. Definitely true
  2. Mostly true
  3. Mostly false
  4. Definitely false
8. True or false: “I often get carried away by my emotions.”
  1. Definitely true
  2. Mostly true
  3. Mostly false
  4. Definitely false
9. True or false: “I never want to be reminded of difficult past experiences.”
  1. Definitely true
  2. Mostly true
  3. Mostly false
  4. Definitely false
10. True or false: “It’s hard for me to make decisions.”
  1. Definitely true
  2. Mostly true
  3. Mostly false
  4. Definitely false
11. True or false: “I struggle to maintain close relationships with other people, and I don’t know why.”
  1. Definitely true
  2. Mostly true
  3. Mostly false
  4. Definitely false
12. True or false: “I feel like I’m always on guard for danger and aware of my surroundings.”
  1. Definitely true
  2. Mostly true
  3. Mostly false
  4. Definitely false
13. Do you have difficulty sleeping or experience frequent nightmares?
  1. Yes, all the time
  2. Yes, fairly often
  3. Sometimes
  4. Not really, no

More Quizzes

Did you like this quiz?

lot<\/i> to deal with and process, and it may be pretty painful, especially if it only occurred recently. But whether it was recent or happened way back in your childhood, we hope you go easy on yourself and know that you deserve peace and freedom from whatever you\u2019re still dealing with.

If you haven\u2019t already, we recommend reaching out to a therapist for support and guidance. They can help you unpack difficult traumatic experiences and navigate a path forward\u2014because there is<\/i> a path forward, trust us. You\u2019re worthy of a peaceful, fulfilling life, and you\u2019re capable of achieving it. And remember, you\u2019re not alone.","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Overcome-Trauma"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Overcome Trauma","id":9555059,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Overcome-Trauma","relUrl":"\/Overcome-Trauma","image":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/db\/Overcome-Trauma-Step-16-Version-2.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Overcome-Trauma-Step-16-Version-2.jpg","alt":"How to Overcome Trauma"},{"title":"How to Choose a Therapist","id":45124,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist","relUrl":"\/Choose-a-Therapist","image":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","alt":"How to Choose a Therapist"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":2,"text":"You may be dealing with some trauma.","meaning":"Based on the answers you gave, you may have undergone a traumatic situation in the past, and it sounds like it\u2019s still with you. We understand\u2014it\u2019s a lot<\/i> to deal with and process, and it may be pretty painful, especially if it only occurred recently. But whether it was recent or happened way back in your childhood, we hope you go easy on yourself and know that you deserve peace and freedom from whatever is haunting you.

If you haven\u2019t already, we recommend reaching out to a therapist for support and guidance. They can help you unpack difficult traumatic experiences and navigate a path forward\u2014because there is<\/i> a path forward, trust us. You\u2019re worthy of a peaceful, fulfilling life, and you\u2019re capable of achieving it. And remember, you\u2019re not alone.","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Overcome-Trauma"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Overcome Trauma","id":9555059,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Overcome-Trauma","relUrl":"\/Overcome-Trauma","image":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/db\/Overcome-Trauma-Step-16-Version-2.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Overcome-Trauma-Step-16-Version-2.jpg","alt":"How to Overcome Trauma"},{"title":"How to Choose a Therapist","id":45124,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist","relUrl":"\/Choose-a-Therapist","image":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","alt":"How to Choose a Therapist"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":3,"text":"You\u2019re probably not dealing with significant trauma.","meaning":"Based on the answers you gave, you may have undergone a traumatic situation in the past, but it sounds like you\u2019re processing it pretty well. You should feel proud of that. Experiencing a traumatic event is hard enough, but processing it takes an enormous amount of strength and resilience. You\u2019ve likely worked very, very hard to get to where you are today. But based on your answers, it seems like you still might be struggling with some unresolved emotions.

If you haven\u2019t already, we recommend reaching out to a therapist for support and guidance. They can help you unpack difficult traumatic experiences and navigate a path forward\u2014because there is<\/i> a path forward, trust us. You\u2019re worthy of a peaceful, fulfilling life, and you\u2019re capable of achieving it. And remember, you\u2019re not alone.","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Overcome-Trauma"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Overcome Trauma","id":9555059,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Overcome-Trauma","relUrl":"\/Overcome-Trauma","image":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/db\/Overcome-Trauma-Step-16-Version-2.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Overcome-Trauma-Step-16-Version-2.jpg","alt":"How to Overcome Trauma"},{"title":"How to Choose a Therapist","id":45124,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist","relUrl":"\/Choose-a-Therapist","image":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","alt":"How to Choose a Therapist"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""},{"number":4,"text":"You\u2019re likely not dealing with any trauma.","meaning":"Based on the answers you gave, it doesn\u2019t sound like you\u2019re really struggling with any unresolved trauma. Maybe you haven\u2019t really experienced any traumatizing situations\u2014or you have, and you\u2019ve done the work to unpack them and figure out a way forward, which is worthy of applause in our book.

At the end of the day, there are so many different ways that people respond to trauma\u2014more than can be summed up in a simple quiz here. If you know or suspect you're still processing difficult past experiences, take these results with a grain of salt: your own understanding of yourself, your mind, your body, and your lived experience is worth more than what we can say here.","edit_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Overcome-Trauma"},{"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist"}],"link_data":[{"title":"How to Overcome Trauma","id":9555059,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Overcome-Trauma","relUrl":"\/Overcome-Trauma","image":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/db\/Overcome-Trauma-Step-16-Version-2.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Overcome-Trauma-Step-16-Version-2.jpg","alt":"How to Overcome Trauma"},{"title":"How to Choose a Therapist","id":45124,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Choose-a-Therapist","relUrl":"\/Choose-a-Therapist","image":"\/images\/thumb\/d\/d7\/Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/-crop-200-200-200px-Stop-Alcohol-Cravings-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","alt":"How to Choose a Therapist"}],"minimum":0,"image":"","image_url":""}]" class="quiz_results_data"/>\"What<\/picture>","alt":"What Fairy Type Am I Quiz"},{"title":"What's My Personality Based on My Song Choices Quiz","id":14785504,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/What%27s-Your-Personality-Based-on-Your-Song-Choices","relUrl":"\/What%27s-Your-Personality-Based-on-Your-Song-Choices","image":"\"What's<\/picture>","alt":"What's My Personality Based on My Song Choices Quiz"},{"title":"Guess the Movie Based on Emojis Quiz","id":14787338,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Guess-the-Movie-with-Emojis","relUrl":"\/Guess-the-Movie-with-Emojis","image":"\"Guess<\/picture>","alt":"Guess the Movie Based on Emojis Quiz"}],"number":1},{"text":"Weekday","result":"Cool! Try one of these quizzes next: ","next_quizzes":[{"title":"What Would I Do As President Quiz","id":14779844,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/What-Would-You-Do-As-President-Test","relUrl":"\/What-Would-You-Do-As-President-Test","image":"\"What<\/picture>","alt":"What Would I Do As President Quiz"},{"title":"Am I a Real Ravenclaw Quiz","id":14781389,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Are-You-a-Real-Ravenclaw","relUrl":"\/Are-You-a-Real-Ravenclaw","image":"\"Are<\/picture>","alt":"Am I a Real Ravenclaw Quiz"},{"title":"Will I Ever Get with My Crush Quiz","id":14785083,"url":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/Relationships\/Will-I-Ever-Get-with-My-Crush","relUrl":"\/Relationships\/Will-I-Ever-Get-with-My-Crush","image":"\"Will<\/picture>","alt":"Will I Ever Get with My Crush Quiz"}],"number":2}]}" class="quiz_questionnaire_data"/>

What Is Trauma?

The word “trauma” is thrown around a lot, but what does it actually mean, and how do you know if you’ve experienced it?

Trauma is an intense emotional reaction to a difficult experience, such as an accident, natural disaster, physical or emotional abuse, crime, neglect, undergoing or witnessing violence, the loss of a loved one, war, and more. Right after the traumatic event, you may feel shock or denial, and long-term reactions may involve unpredictable or extreme emotions, flashbacks, and difficulty forming and maintaining healthy relationships with other people. Trauma may even result in physical symptoms, like headaches or nausea.

Thankfully, many people who endure a serious trauma in their lives are able to process the trauma and move forward, often with the help of counseling. This doesn’t mean the trauma is erased, and “moving forward” may just mean…well, “moving forward,” not forgetting the past or never feeling the effects of the trauma again. Processing trauma often involves understanding how to live with its effects and have a full, rewarding life in spite of it.

If you’re dealing with the aftereffects of a traumatic event, a licensed therapist may be able to help you process what happened and navigate a way forward. Healing is possible—and you deserve it.

Want to learn more?

For more information about symptoms of trauma and how to overcome it, visit these resources:

You Might Also Like

Medical Disclaimer

Any medically related content, whether User Content or otherwise found on the Service, is not intended to be medical advice or instructions for medical diagnosis or treatment, and no physician-patient or psychotherapist-patient relationship is, or is intended to be, created.

Read More...