Intro [0:00]
Hello my dears! My name is Johanna, and I welcome you to the Johanna Draconis - The Deconstruction Of C-PTSD podcast.
In this episode we will talk about violence and the deciding factor for something to become a trauma or even PTSD. It is important to understand what the main factors are to know what to focus on - especially when dealing with ring trauma.
So let us talk about it.

Prelude [0:28]
When we talk about the deciding factor or any factor - we of course can only talk about the trauma side of things, but that is only half the picture. Every person is different and we talked about the factors of a person that determine the size and effect of the trauma.
That was episode 95, but I can get into greater detail if needed - similar how this episode goes intro greater detail in regard to the trauma side of things. There is a common opinion out there, that violence is the deciding factor to make something traumatic.
But that disregards the immense impact psychological, verbal and other abuse can have. It is enough to cause PTSD and even PTS - the post torture syndrome. Which why it is considered now outdated and we have broaden our knowledge about it.
Violence - of course - is still a very important factor, but not THE deciding one. But to truly trying to understand this we use our slapped in the face example again - this time with the violence being the focus, while the level of force stays exactly the same.
We first talk about the slap in the face example, then about the differences and then the deciding factor.

The slap in the face example again - this time with new flavors! [1:52]
1. Self punch - The first level is punching your own face, by accident or via a tree branch for example. No one saw it. Shouldn’t be too bad. If someone saw it there might be embarrassment and wounded ego, but otherwise you should be alright.
2. Accidental punch - The second level the punch is accidental - like someone showing how big something was and you accidentally get hit in the face. Now a lack of apology makes it worse, but usually we take it in out stride.
3. Escalation punch - The third level is when we are in a fight with someone and it escalated and we get punched. The punch is not a surprise, but now there is a side note of threat and danger. We leave it at one punch, which is enough to rattle someone.
4. Surprise punch - The fourth level is when someone just punches you out of nowhere with intention. The punch is a surprise, a threat and comes with the uncertainty of what comes next.
5. Trusted punch - The fifth level is when you get punched by someone you trust. Which means you likely didn’t saw it coming and the implication are going to be significant.
6. Vulnerable punch - The sixth level is when you are vulnerable or at someones mercy. Be it bound to a chair or unable to move for any other reason. No control, a potential threat and danger and no way to respond.

Violence all the same, but yet it is different isn’t it? [3:38]
Like I said the violence was the same in all of the examples, but there is a significant difference isn’t there? I think if I let anyone choose they would all choose level 1. Of course some of these levels can be combined which makes them worse.
But it isn’t the violence that determines it all. The threat, what relationship and how much control over the situation we have are the factors that change the situation entirely. Which makes this example go from bad to horrific.
Of course we could have added factors like support or no support and the like. But I didn’t want to go beyond the scope of this episode. Especially since the support is also affected by multiple factors and can vary significantly.
I don’t understand the sentiment that psychological factors aren’t important - psychological warfare is a thing - so you can be sure that there is definitely some validity to it. It is used for hundreds of years and its effects have been proven.
This seems to me similar but on a smaller scale.

The deciding factor [4:49]
But what is the deciding factor? I found the the factor of lethal threat to be the most significant and determining one. It is almost a requirement to enter C-PTSD territory. Which makes also sense why soldiers are so significantly affected by PTSD.
The second most is control - or how helpless you were in that situation. Can you even try to do something? Even if we fail, it is better to have at least tried than not being able to do anything at all. At least you tried everything you could.
Of course basically any combination is possible and only half of the picture. As said before the other half is the person experiencing it - which has a huge influence - as does the direct treatment after the trauma.

Outro [5:43]
That was it for todays episode, I hope you found it helpful. Hope you are safe and well. And as always, if you have any questions or feedback and the like, please let me know at contactme@johannadraconis.com. 
More information and transcript you can find as usually under johannadraconis.com and links are in the description. 
I hope to see you next time. Watch yourselves and have a wonderful time.