Trauma Through the Life Cycle: A Review of Current Literature

This paper provides an overview of common traumatic events and responses, with a specific focus on the life cycle. It identifies selected “large T” and “micro” traumas encountered during childhood, adulthood and late life, and the concept of resilience. It also identifies the differences in traumatic events and reactions experienced by men compared to women, those related to the experience of immigration, and cross generational transmission of trauma. Descriptions of empirically-supported treatment approaches of traumatized individuals at the different stages of the life cycle are offered.