trauma

3 definitions • 8 examples

severe and lasting emotional shock and pain caused by an extremely upsetting experience, or a case of such shock happening:

the trauma of marriage breakdown

He had psychotherapy to help him deal with his childhood traumas.

physical injury, usually caused by an accident or attack, or a case of such injury happening:

Central pain syndrome can result from trauma to the brain or spinal cord.

to suffer brain/head trauma

She was carried off on a stretcher and taken to the trauma centre at the city's Mercy Hospital.

Infection in a person recovering from a trauma such as a car accident or severe burns can be as deadly as the incident itself.

severe shock caused by an injury:

[ U ] She never recovered from the trauma of her mother’s illness.

[ U ] The surgeon specialized in trauma (= sudden, severe injury), especially from gunshots.