It is common knowledge that people are all different, and that everybody is an individual with particular strengths and weaknesses who experiences and approaches life in a unique way.

Regarding the experience of personal trauma, no two individuals are alike either. Personal traumas may include, but not be limited to, experiences of physical or sexual assault, the sudden and unexpected death of a loved one, a natural disaster, persistent bullying or a serious automobile accident.

“Somebody can have the same exact experience as another person and be traumatized or not traumatized by it,” said Alison Seltzer, a Licensed Professional Counselor who is the director at InnerPeaceCounseling in Altoona, and specializes in treating individuals who have experienced various types of personal trauma.

The different reactions of combat veterans illustrate just one example.

“There have been studies shown that three different people could be in the same war zone, and one will develop post-traumatic stress disorder, another will develop depression, and the third person will emerge from what they have experienced without developing significant mental health issues,” said psychologist Denis Navarro, who is a retired outpatient services supervisor and clinical specialist after a career spanning many decades with the UPMC Altoona Behavioral Health Services Department.

Indeed, the effects of trauma are as wide-ranging as the events that traumatize people.

Forensic psychologist Demara Bennett, who works in Satellite Beach, Fla. and specializes in evaluating and treating both children and adults who have experienced trauma, said in a June 2024 article published on the wondermind.com website that, on the most intense end of the trauma symptom spectrum, people can have flashbacks, avoid specific people and places, or experience depression.

Others who are subjected to trauma might develop a trauma and stressor-related disorder like post-traumatic stress disorder, Bennett said in the article.

An individual’s personality is often deeply ingrained by early childhood.

“That would go back to nature and nurture — some people are just different than others,” Seltzer said. “You can have children from the same family growing up in an abusive family environment and you might have one child that is more negatively affected.

“It’s just a fact that some children are different than others,” Seltzer said. “They have a temperament that allows them to be capable of handling things differently, whereas other siblings may not handle the same things as well.”

And siblings in the same family may also be treated differently by a parent or parents.

Seltzer said that attachment styles between a child and his or her parents can range from the very positive secure attachment style to the negative avoidant, fearful or anxious attachment styles.

Parenting styles also differ, with an authoritarian style that requires rigid and inflexible adherence to rules, beliefs and behaviors considered damaging in comparison to the authoritative parenting style, which encourages the child to explore his or her world with adequate parental oversight but without undue or unnecessary restrictions.

“The type of attachment has to do with how secure the child becomes,” Seltzer said. “When there is a good parenting style and an excellent attachment style, that’s when children turn out pretty well as adults. Other things happen in between though, and that’s what we deal with here in therapy.”

Maladaptive behavior in individuals who have been affected by trauma can take many different forms, Seltzer said.

“Sometimes, people don’t necessarily want to deal with their trauma, or they don’t know how to deal with it,” Seltzer said. “So they just avoid coping with it at all.

“Denial is a form of avoidance,” Seltzer said.

So is compulsive behavior that can include addictions such as the abuse of alcohol and illicit drugs, gambling, sex/pornography, shopping, food and stealing. Other types of compulsive behavior may be considered more positive — like an excessive preoccupation with work or exercise.

People may often engage in any type of compulsive behavior as a means to try to emotionally self-regulate after enduring any kind of trauma.

“Any time that a person is driven or immersed to do something in excess, it can be a problem,” Seltzer said.

Next: A look at the treatment methods used to address trauma.

Mirror Staff writer John Hartsock can be reached at jhartsock@altoonamirror.com