Unresolved trauma” is an active and usually disruptive emotional response to a terrible event or experience. Trauma that is “unresolved” can be characterized by mental, physical, emotional and/or behavioral symptoms or distress. Unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, relationship problems and physical symptoms like headaches or nausea are some of the ways that unresolved trauma can manifest, according to the American Psychological Association.
There is an important distinction to be drawn between unresolved childhood trauma and unresolved childhood issues, both of which may benefit from therapy. Many people in adulthood may look back at how they were raised and identify areas of dysfunction (intense sibling rivalry, an emotionally distant parent, etc.) In some cases, they may be able to trace the roots of a mental health condition like depression to specific issues in childhood.
While these issues may be significant enough to warrant therapy, they do not entail the experience of a traumatic or shocking event or situation during childhood. In this case, the more appropriate term for a person’s experience would be “childhood trauma.