Trauma Test (PTSD) — 20 Questions Across 4 Symptom Clusters

Trauma is the lasting psychological and physiological response to an event or series of events that overwhelmed the nervous system's capacity to cope at the time. The DSM-5 defines a 'traumatic event' as direct exposure, witnessing, or learning about actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. But the lived experience of trauma is broader — many adults carry significant trauma symptoms from experiences (medical procedures, childhood emotional neglect, sustained relational stress) that wouldn't formally qualify under DSM criteria but produce the same nervous-system patterns. The Bessel van der Kolk framing is useful: trauma is what happens inside you in response to what happened to you, not the event itself.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the formal DSM-5 diagnosis for the cluster of trauma-related symptoms that meet specific clinical thresholds. PTSD requires: (1) exposure to a qualifying traumatic event; (2) intrusion symptoms (memories, nightmares, flashbacks, distress at reminders); (3) avoidance of trauma-related stimuli; (4) negative changes in mood or cognition; (5) hyperarousal and reactivity. Symptoms must persist for more than one month and cause significant impairment. About 6% of US adults will meet PTSD criteria at some point in their lifetime; rates run higher in populations with high trauma exposure (combat veterans, survivors of sexual assault, refugees, first responders).

The PCL-5 (PTSD Checklist for DSM-5) is the most widely used self-report PTSD screening instrument, developed by Frank Weathers and colleagues at the US National Center for PTSD in 2013. It is a 20-item measure assessing the four DSM-5 PTSD symptom clusters. Scores range from 0-80, with a clinical cut-off typically around 31-33 suggesting probable PTSD. The Mindshape trauma test is modelled on the PCL-5 structure — 20 items across the 4 symptom clusters with per-cluster breakdown — but is adapted for self-reflection rather than diagnostic use. For formal clinical screening, the validated PCL-5 itself, the CAPS-5 (clinician-administered), or the LEC-5 (life-events checklist) are the standard instruments.

Complex PTSD (CPTSD) is a related but distinct condition included in the ICD-11 (2018) but not in the DSM-5. It describes the trauma response that arises from sustained, repeated, or developmental trauma — typically prolonged childhood abuse, sustained interpersonal violence, captivity, or repeated traumatic exposure — rather than from a single discrete event. CPTSD includes all PTSD symptoms plus three additional symptom domains: persistent negative self-concept (deep shame and worthlessness), difficulty regulating emotions (intense and prolonged emotional reactions), and difficulty maintaining relationships. CPTSD often requires longer-term and more relationship-focused treatment than PTSD. For a CPTSD-specific screen, see our dedicated CPTSD test.

Trauma is one of the most genuinely treatable mental-health conditions when the right approach is used. The gold-standard treatments are: EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing — Francine Shapiro), CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy — Patricia Resick), Prolonged Exposure (Edna Foa), and increasingly somatic approaches (Sensorimotor Psychotherapy — Pat Ogden, Somatic Experiencing — Peter Levine). All four have substantial evidence bases. EMDR and CPT often produce significant improvement within 12-16 sessions. For complex/developmental trauma, longer-term therapy (often combining trauma-processing with attachment-focused or somatic work) is typically needed. Generic talk therapy is often the wrong tool for trauma — look specifically for trauma-trained clinicians.

Yes — extensively. Trauma is held in the body as much as in the mind. Common physical signatures include: chronic muscle tension (often in jaw, neck, shoulders), GI symptoms (IBS-like patterns), chronic fatigue, sleep disruption, immune dysfunction, autoimmune flare-ups, and unexplained pain. Bessel van der Kolk's 'The Body Keeps the Score' is the canonical reference. Many adults cycle through gastroenterology, rheumatology, neurology, and pain medicine appointments for years before the underlying trauma is recognised. If your physical symptoms have been investigated medically and no physical cause has been found, trauma is a strong candidate explanation worth taking seriously — particularly if your trauma test scores are elevated.

The Mindshape trauma test takes most people 4-6 minutes to complete. It is 20 items on a 5-point scale, asking about the past month. Results appear instantly with a per-cluster breakdown across the 4 DSM-5 PTSD symptom clusters plus treatment-direction guidance.