A potentially traumatic event is a powerful and distressing experience that is life threatening or poses a significant threat to a person’s physical or psychological well-being.
Trauma is whatever the person perceives as trauma, what may be traumatic for one person may not for another. It is important to remember this when having conversations, not to put our own beliefs and opinions onto someone else.
For more information on traumatic events see the Mental Health First Aid Guideline here that can be viewed and downloaded.