Brad SchipkeFounder of Broken To Unbreakable

What's the difference between trauma and PTSD?

23 Nov 2025 · 1 min

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0:40

In this brief YouTube monologue, Brad Schipke explains that trauma refers to the external event that occurs to a person, whereas PTSD is the internal, ongoing response of the nervous system that keeps the brain stuck in a survival mode after the event. He emphasizes that two individuals can experience the same trauma, yet only one may develop PTSD depending on how their brain stores the memory. Schipke describes PTSD as the mind and body reacting to past events as if they are happening in the present because the nervous system never fully shuts down. He then outlines the path to recovery: fully processing the trauma at its root allows the nervous system to reset, enabling the person to recall the event without reliving it and to feel calm and safe again. The video ends with a call to subscribe and watch longer videos for deeper guidance.

Chapters

What's the difference between trauma and PTSD? Trauma is what happened to you, and PTSD is what happens inside of you afterwards. So 2 people can go through the same event, and one might process it and move on, and the other one might stay stuck in survival mode. That's because PTSD isn't about the event itself, it's how your brain stores it. If your nervous system never shuts off, then the trauma stays alive in your brain, and that's PTSD. It's the mind and the body reacting to the past as if it's still happening in the present. But it doesn't have to stay that way. Once you fully process the trauma at the root, your nervous system resets and you feel calm safe again. You can remember what happened without reliving it, and that's what full recovery is. So if you want to learn how to get there, make sure to subscribe and watch some of my longer videos.