If Trauma is So Common, Why Doesn’t Everyone Have PTSD? Part 1

About 80% of people experience something traumatic in their lifetime, but only around 10% go on to be diagnosed with PTSD. Why do some people develop PTSD while others don’t?

One emerging area of research suggests that the foundation for PTSD risk may be laid before birth specifically, during the last trimester of pregnancy.

The Role of Prenatal Stress in PTSD Risk

We tend to think of PTSD as something that happens after a traumatic event. But the truth is, your nervous system’s ability to process stress starts developing long before you experience trauma yourself. Your nervous system’s response to trauma starts to form when you were still in the womb.

During the last trimester of pregnancy, a baby’s nervous system is coming online. If a pregnant mother is experiencing high levels of stress, her body is flooded with stress hormones, which in turn affect the baby. This means that even before birth, some individuals are being primed for a heightened stress response. Later in life, when trauma happens, their system may be more likely to get stuck or encode unhelpful information.

A Case Study: June’s Pregnancy

To understand how this plays out, let’s look at a fictional but realistic example.

June wasn’t ready for her pregnancy. She was overwhelmed, working long hours, and struggling with depression. She hid her pregnancy in oversized sweatshirts, avoiding conversations about the future. By her third trimester, she was exhausted, anxious, and constantly on edge.

Because June was under chronic stress, her body produced a near-constant stream of cortisol, the stress hormone. And her baby felt it, too. This baby’s nervous system developed in an environment that said, The world is unpredictable. Be on high alert.

How Early Stress Shapes the Nervous System

After birth, June’s baby was fussy, difficult to soothe, and highly sensitive to changes in routine. As she grew, she became cautious, anxious, and hyper-aware of her surroundings. Then, in high school, she experienced a sexual assault by a peer.

While any traumatic event can be devastating, her nervous system was already wired for high reactivity. Instead of processing and recovering, her body and brain got stuck in survival mode, leading to full-blown PTSD.

Why This Matters

Understanding the role of prenatal stress doesn’t mean trauma is inevitable. But if you know you had a stressful in-utero experience or if you’re currently pregnant and under a lot of stress, it can help you be more mindful of how you or your child might respond to difficult experiences later on. 

The issue with traumatic events is too much too fast. We don’t need everyone to have a stress free childhood. Stress and trauma can help us transform and grow. It becomes an issue when its too much, its constant, you’re stuck in it, and you’re lacking other protective factors.  

The good news? You can heal your nervous system. Whether through therapy, nervous system regulation, you can rewire how your body responds to stress and break the cycle of trauma. 

I provide individual therapy to women with childhood trauma, who’ve experienced sexual assault and rape, or just know that something isn’t right with how they’re acting and feeling.

Interested to learn more about how trauma therapy can help you? Schedule your free consult, I provide in person and telehealth therapy to help women heal their invisible wounds.

Schedule your free phone consultation & learn why women are trying EMDR therapy.