Within affect theory I define trauma as follows: "No experience can be called traumatic unless it produces dense and enduring negative affect." I have suggested that this episode of negative affect (any one of the six negative innate affects) must be of a density beyond that which the individual is used to handling, and cannot be handled by any of the usual techniques of modulation normal to that person. The negative affects are distress-anguish, fear-terror, anger-rage, shame-humiliation, dissmell, and disgust.
Furthermore: "No behavior can be called abusive unless it produces pain, dense affective experience, or massive sexual arousal in an individual who is helpless and otherwise unable to modulate it."
Within Control Mastery, how do you define trauma? Abuse?