When it comes to understanding trauma, we’ve come a long way from the bad old days. That was back in the 1980s, when we thought war veterans who struggled with flashbacks were suffering from brain damage.

Now we know that trauma affects not only our memory, but our immune system. But have we gone too far? Trauma has become the word of our generation. 

Justin Bieber has referenced it, in speaking about his first year of marriage. Characters who are haunted by their pasts are a hallmark of TV shows like Succession and Yellowjackets.

Today, explainer reporter Sherryn Groch on what counts as trauma, and what doesn’t. And how trauma became the word of the decade.

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