Trauma is not just a distressing event that happens to us. Trauma is the changes that go on in our brain and body as a result of the event(s). This poster summarises 7 key areas where our brains are affected by trauma and is a key piece of psychoeducation showing us as survivors that we are neither 'mad' nor 'bad' – we are simply traumatised.

‘A flashback is a sudden, involuntary re-experiencing of a past traumatic event as if it is happening in the present.’ Debilitating, overwhelming, even shameful – post-traumatic flashbacks can make our lives hell but this psychoeducational poster provides a brief explanation as well as some helpful things we can say to ourselves during a flashback to re-ground.

How can we talk about trauma in a way that explains it in metaphors and narrative? How can we explain the dynamics of trauma without being triggered by them, or getting stuck in the detail, of having to describe our particular circumstances? They were the questions I was trying to answer when I wrote this article. I wanted to explain the evolutionary neurobiology of trauma without being overly complex. I wanted to develop a vocabulary and language.

Triggers are a fact of life for many trauma survivors. They remind us of danger in an attempt to keep us safe, but they can make life extremely difficult for us. This poster is from the article 'Three types of trigger: three techniques for taming' and breaks triggers down into more manageable categories.

This poster PDF provides three strategies for grounding based on three parts of the 'front brain' – cognitive strategies using the front left brain, reflective strategies using the front middle brain, and relational strategies using the front right brain. It's a quick-and-easy reminder of different things we can try when triggered and complements my article 'Managing Triggers'.

What do our feelings and actions tell us about how we're doing in our relationships with others? What is the difference between the connectedness of the green zone and the disconnection and shame of the red zone? And what about what happens in the middle? This poster looks at our 'self-conscious' emotions and places them on a spectrum, as a prompt for reflection or discussion and greater self-awareness of the interaction between our beliefs, thoughts, self-stories, feelings and physical state.