I''ll give you some examples of how that might work. Why it might work is a philosophical question that I would need to examine separately.

1. Traumatic Event ---> Stress ---> Effective Coping ---> Health ---> Good Decision Making Ability ---> Avoidance of Trauma

2. Traumatic Event ---> Stress ---> Reacting ---> Relative Stability w/ Increased Stress Response ---> Decreased Decision Making Ability ---> Susceptibility to Further Negativity

3. Traumatic Event ---> Stress ---> Inaction ---> Disease/Victimization ---> Poor Decision Making Ability ---> Repeating Negative Patterns