Brad SchipkeFounder of Broken To Unbreakable

Why trauma effects everyone differently

20 Nov 2025 · 0 min

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0:26

In this concise explanatory video, Brad Schipke outlines why individuals react to the same traumatic event in markedly different ways. He identifies seven key determinants—personal history, genetic makeup, support system, surrounding environment, coping skills, processing abilities, and the personal meaning assigned to the event—that together shape how the brain and body process trauma. He explains that these variables can lead one person to recover quickly while another may develop PTSD, emphasizing that differing outcomes reflect variations in processing rather than differences in personal strength.

Everyone's brain and body respond to trauma differently. It comes down to your history, your genetics, your support system, your environment, your coping skills, your processing skills, and the meaning and interpretation that you've given the event. All of those things shape how you process it. So 2 people can experience the same trauma and walk away completely different. One can recover quickly and one of them can develop PTSD. It doesn't mean that one is stronger than the other. It just means that one person's system stayed stuck and hasn't fully processed it yet.