Show Vocabulary

A series of 10 questions developed by the CDC measuring exposure to traumatic or potentially traumatic events before age 18, covering abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. Each "yes" response counts as one ACE point, with higher scores associated with greater health risks in adulthood.

Also called Ongoing Traumatic Stress or Living Under Threat. A condition in which a person experiences prolonged, repeated exposure to danger without relief, keeping the nervous system in a persistent state of activation. Distinct from single-event trauma in its cumulative and systemic impact.

A psychological condition in which a person's sense of value depends entirely on external outcomes, achievements, or others' approval rather than on an internalized, stable sense of self. Associated with anxiety, perfectionism, and vulnerability to shame.

A federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services responsible for public health research, disease surveillance, and health promotion nationally and globally.

A pattern in which a caregiver or partner is physically present but psychologically unavailable, failing to provide consistent emotional attunement or support. Associated with insecure attachment patterns and long-term impacts on self-worth and relational functioning.

Fertility disruption linked to epigenetic changes caused by chronic stress, trauma, or environmental factors that alter reproductive gene expression. An emerging area of research suggesting that trauma's impact on the body can extend to reproductive function.

The four primary survival responses activated by the nervous system under perceived threat. Fight and flight are active responses; freeze is immobilization; fawn is the tendency to appease or accommodate others to avoid danger. All four can become chronic patterns in people with trauma histories.

A state of heightened, persistent alertness to potential threat. A common feature of PTSD and cPTSD in which the nervous system remains in a state of readiness even in the absence of actual danger, resulting in exhaustion, difficulty relaxing, and hypersensitivity to environmental cues.

An advanced fertility treatment in which eggs are retrieved from the ovaries, fertilized with sperm in a laboratory setting, and the resulting embryo is transferred to the uterus.

A psychological pattern in which a person constructs and maintains an identity based on what earns approval or visibility from others, rather than on authentic self-knowledge. Related to the psychological concept of the "false self."

The storage of traumatic experience in the body as physical sensation, tension, or pain rather than as conscious narrative memory. Supported by research indicating that the body retains trauma responses even when the mind has blocked or minimized conscious recall.

Powerful emotional attachments that form in relationships characterized by cycles of abuse, intermittent reinforcement, and dependency. The bond is strengthened, not weakened, by periods of harm alternating with periods of kindness or relief.

A pattern in which a person is repeatedly misidentified, mislabeled, or rendered invisible by others over time. Research in social psychology suggests that sustained misrecognition can disrupt the development of a stable sense of self and belonging.

A term describing a person whose gender identity aligns with the sex they were assigned at birth.

A trauma disorder that develops in response to prolonged, repeated trauma rather than a single event. Recognized by the World Health Organization in 2019, cPTSD includes the symptoms of PTSD alongside additional features such as emotional dysregulation, negative self-perception, and difficulty with relationships.

A disruption in the normal integration of consciousness, memory, identity, or perception. Can range from mild detachment to complete disconnection from one's surroundings or sense of self. Common as a protective response to overwhelming stress or trauma.

A process by which environmental and psychological experiences alter how genes are expressed without changing the underlying DNA sequence. Trauma, chronic stress, and adversity can leave epigenetic marks that affect mental and physical health and may be transmitted to subsequent generations.

The practice of seeking proof of one's worth exclusively from outside sources — achievements, titles, relationships, approval — rather than from an internalized sense of self-worth. Associated with contingent self-worth and performance identity.

A bariatric surgical procedure that reduces stomach capacity and bypasses a portion of the small intestine, limiting food intake and nutrient absorption to produce significant weight loss.

A fertility procedure in which prepared sperm is directly inserted into the uterus during ovulation to increase the likelihood of fertilization.

A hormonal disorder affecting the reproductive system, characterized by irregular ovulation, elevated androgen levels, and the development of small cysts on the ovaries. One of the leading causes of infertility in people with ovaries.

A mental health condition that can develop following exposure to a traumatic event, characterized by intrusive memories, avoidance, negative changes in thinking and mood, and heightened reactivity.

Prolonged, unrelieved activation of the body's stress response system, particularly during childhood development. Unlike typical stress, toxic stress occurs without adequate adult support or buffering and can disrupt brain development, immune function, and long-term physical and mental health.

A memory disruption caused by psychological trauma in which the brain blocks conscious access to distressing memories as a protective response. The memories are not destroyed but become inaccessible, sometimes surfacing through somatic responses, emotional triggers, or fragmented sensory impressions.