Traumas can arise from a range of experiences including violent events, physical or mental abuse, accidents, and loss. Even though the events may have occurred in the distant past, similar emotions to those experienced in the past may resurface if something happens to trigger a reaction. What can happen is a re-experiencing of the unprocessed past that has been activated by a current stimulus. The determining factor to pay attention to is to evaluate whether the emotional charge is out of balance (excessive) compared to the event. If this emotional reaction is overwhelming, then it is likely coming from the past and needs to be processed.

Critical events are current or sudden experiences with a high emotional intensity, often seen as a crisis situation. Initially, clients are helped to increase coping skills and then through a directive approach, they can be addressed by processing the event and reducing the emotional charge.