Seeking Therapy to Address Childhood Trauma

Those who have survived childhood trauma tend to experience a range of long and short term effects. Having nightmares and flashbacks are common experiences for these people. Many tend to develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or other anxiety disorders that persist into adulthood. Seeking professional help is one way that survivors go through the process of healing and address the impact of childhood trauma. However, working with trauma is not easy and requires a strong and trusting relationship between the client and the therapist. If you are reading this and childhood trauma is a concern, let’s look into what is important to take note of if you are considering therapy.

1. Finding the right therapist – it is helpful to look for a therapist who has experience working with survivors of childhood trauma, AND
2. Choose a therapist that you are comfortable with – because you deserve a safe space for disclosure and trust needs to be developed in the therapeutic relationship.

In therapy, what you may have to go through are:

1. Talking about trauma-related memories and feelings – be aware that revisiting the past and recalling childhood trauma may trigger intense emotions and thoughts. Re-opening trauma-related wounds and processing it through therapy is to help you to relate, acknowledge and accept the strong emotions.
2. Learning how to regulate strong emotions – such as fear, shame, and guilt which can result from the traumatic event. Part of coping with trauma is to be able to express your feelings effectively and to manage your emotions, thoughts, and behaviors. For example, it is important to learn how to reduce the intensity of your anxiety while recalling the traumatic past.
3. Reconstructing trauma-related thoughts – this includes learning how to rephrase the underlying meaning behind your emotions or the way you interpret the situation. Change in the interpretation or perception could help you to develop a positive sense of self and enhance your resilience.
4. Building or rebuilding the ability to trust people – after experiencing childhood trauma, the concept of trust can be fractured and may need reconstruction. Therapy may be a good avenue to start this exercise. Bear in mind that, whilst establishing relationships can be difficult, it is not impossible.

It can be a struggle for survivors to deal with their childhood trauma. Therefore, it is important to give sufficient time and space for the healing process to take place. It is courageous of survivors to choose to seek help in confronting those painful experiences. Be patient and seek support.