It’s important to recognizing that grief and trauma often show up in similar ways, and one can deeply affect the other. Grief, as you know, is the pain and loss that comes when something—or someone—important to you is no longer there. This loss can either be welcome or unwelcome as well. Trauma, on the other hand, is the deep, often overwhelming emotional response to an event that shatters your sense of safety, trust, or stability. But here’s the thing: the impact of both can feel almost identical in how they show up in your body and your mind.

When we experience trauma, it doesn’t just stay in the past. It has a way of continuing to live with us, often in ways we can’t always control or even understand. The same is true with grief—it doesn’t just happen and then go away. It lingers, often in unexpected ways, and can resurface in moments that catch us off guard. It can show up in physical symptoms, like tension, exhaustion, or even aches and pains. Emotionally, you might feel numb, disconnected, or flooded with intense feelings that come in waves. Mentally, it can leave you feeling scattered, forgetful, or like you’re just not quite yourself.

What happens when grief and trauma overlap is that they feed off each other. Trauma can make the grief feel even more intense because it might shake your sense of safety, leaving you feeling vulnerable. On the other hand, unresolved grief can contribute to trauma, especially if the loss was sudden or unresolved. Both can leave you feeling stuck in a cycle of pain, where the emotions are too much to bear, and the way forward can seem unclear or unreachable.