Trauma is not just a memory of the past. It is an incident that remains active in the present – caught somewhere in time and influencing thoughts, emotions, and behaviour. Unlike ordinary recollections, trauma does not fade with time. Instead, it persists, shaping perceptions and reactions as if the incident is still happening. This is because trauma is tied to intention—the mental drives formed at the time of the incident. When an intention is repressed, and left unfulfilled, it therefore remains unresolved, keeping the trauma ‘live’ in the present. Interestingly, this aligns with Mardi Horowitz’s completion theory, which suggests that intrusive thoughts continue to recur until the person finishes accommodating to the major life event.
Trauma: Caught Somewhere in Time
People often describe trauma as feeling ‘stuck’ in time. Certain triggers—sounds, sights, or even thoughts—can bring back the full force of an experience, complete with physical sensations and emotional distress. This phenomenon occurs because trauma is not integrated as a distant memory but as an active condition within the psyche.
At the moment of trauma, the mind instinctively tries to resolve the situation. It forms intentions—to escape, to fight back, to protect, or even to understand. If these intentions are frustrated, they do not simply vanish. Instead, they can become repressed, pushed out of conscious awareness yet continuing to operate beneath the surface.
So when a person encounters a trigger, the mind does not recall trauma as a past event. It is re-experienced. The unfulfilled intention resurfaces, creating the same physiological and psychological reactions that occurred at the time. This is why trauma can feel timeless—it is not merely remembered; it is relived.
The Role of Repressed Intention
In understanding trauma, and how we get caught somewhere in time, the concept of intention is crucial.
Intention is not just a simple desire or a thought; it is an active drive requiring resolution. When this drive is blocked, it does not dissipate—essentially remaining in a condition of subconscious suspension. The mind holds onto the unfulfilled cycle of activity, keeping it in a state of unresolved activation.
For example, consider a firefighter caught in a structural collapse. Their immediate intention may be to escape or rescue a colleague. If they are physically prevented from acting on this intention, the drive for resolution is frozen in place. Even if they survive, the intention (and therefore the incident) remains incomplete in their psyche.
Years later, they may experience anxiety when entering confined spaces. This is not simply fear—it is the reactivation of an intention that was never discharged. The trauma is not just in the past; it is now in the present, and still awaiting resolution. The firefighter then remains caught somewhere in time.
The Hidden Nature of Repressed Intention
One of the most insidious aspects of trauma is that a person cannot even be aware of their repressed intention. Because repression pushes unresolved drives out of conscious awareness, the individual has no direct way of recognising that an intention remains unfulfilled.
This creates a psychological trap—a person cannot abandon an intention they do not know they have, and they cannot fulfil it if they do not recognise its existence. Instead, they may only experience the consequences: chronic stress, emotional distress, or unexplained reactions to certain triggers. The original event remains unresolved, not because the person is unwilling to move forward, but because their mind is still bound to an intention that has been buried beyond conscious reach.
This is why trauma work is not just about remembering events—it is about recovering lost intentions and either bringing them to completion or abandoning them. Without this, a person may continue suffering from something they cannot consciously perceive.
Why Time Does Not Heal Trauma
The notion that ‘time heals all wounds’ does not apply to psychological trauma. This is because time alone does not fulfil intention. Unresolved trauma persists because the mind is still trying to complete what was left undone.
The common approach of avoidance—trying to suppress or forget the experience—only reinforces the problem. Suppression does not resolve intention; it keeps it trapped. Without addressing the underlying drive for resolution, the trauma remains somewhere in time, waiting for its moment to resurface.
Breaking Free from the Timelessness of Trauma
To truly move past trauma, the underlying intentions must be brought to awareness and completed. This is where effective trauma processing comes in.
Traumatic Incident Reduction (TIR) focuses on revisiting the experience in a structured way, allowing the individual to work through what was left unresolved. The goal is not merely to talk about the trauma but to process the repressed intention and allow it to reach a point of completion or abandonment.
When an individual is guided to fully experience the event in a controlled and intentional way, they can reach a natural resolution. The traumatic incident is no longer ‘stuck in time’—it becomes something that happened, rather than something that is happening.
Reclaiming the Present
For those struggling with unresolved trauma, the real challenge is not to forget but to fulfil. The past is only intrusive because it is still demanding resolution. The key is to uncover the blocked intention and process it fully.
By doing so, trauma loses its timeless grip. The past can return to being the past, and the present can finally be experienced as it is—free from the echoes of unfulfilled intention, and no longer caught somewhere in time.
For more insights into effective trauma recovery, explore our Traumatic Incident Reduction approach.
Stay safe,
Sean
