A Trauma is harm to a character — to the physical body, to the mind, to the spirit, or from the forces of death (The Pall). Trauma is the umbrella covering every lasting harm a character carries and the ongoing processes by which they recover from — or succumb to — it.
Trauma vs. Affliction. A trauma is a condition the character is in — a state they carry and recover from. An affliction is instead an ongoing hostile agent (a disease, a poison, a maladiction) that runs a course and ends in death or cure. See Affliction vs. Trauma for the full distinction and worked examples.