Childhood trauma can influence people well into adulthood. If you were faced with traumatic experiences as a child, you may feel frustrated that these events still affect you emotionally today.
You might try to tell yourself that you’re safe now, and what happened shouldn’t cast a shadow over your life anymore. Despite your attempts at positive self-talk, you just can’t shake your memories.
Alternatively, you might not understand exactly why you’re still struggling with your mental health today. But you suspect that it could be linked to circumstances in your childhood.
Unfortunately, you don’t know how to get to the roots of the problem on your own. In either case, talking to a therapist can help you heal from childhood trauma. Here are a few specific ways trauma treatment can help you.
Identify Root Causes of Triggers
Do you react to certain triggers today as a result of trauma you experienced when you were younger? Maybe you even try to avoid some situations because you fear that you’ll have to face these triggers.
Your therapist can help you understand what triggers are, why encountering specific stressors causes this reaction for you, and how your triggers are linked to your trauma. Additionally, your therapist will work with you to create neutral associations with your triggers so that you don’t feel the urge to avoid them anymore.
Alleviate Distressing Symptoms
Maybe you suffer from stomachaches, headaches, or insomnia. Your trauma can leave you with physical symptoms.
In trauma treatment, you can explore how your mental and physical health are connected. You’ll also learn sustainable strategies for addressing and alleviating your symptoms, from healthy lifestyle changes to mindfulness techniques.
Develop Healthy Coping Strategies
Perhaps you deal with panic attacks, social anxiety, or other symptoms that hold you back in your daily life. You hope to heal these symptoms, eventually.
In the meantime, you need a way to deal with them so that you can focus on work, school, and social obligations without facing these hurdles day in and day out. During therapy sessions, you can work on healthy coping mechanisms.
These can include calming down when you notice the warning signs of a panic attack or changing your internal narrative to reduce social anxiety.
Address Unhelpful Thinking Patterns
Trauma can affect your thoughts for years after the event itself. You may find yourself unable to break out of negative thought patterns. Rather than redirecting your focus or evaluating your own beliefs based on evidence, you end up ruminating on harmful beliefs that do not serve you.
You don’t want to think so poorly of yourself. Yet ultimately it seems like every time you try to shift your self-talk, your trauma brings you right back to where you began.
Through specific modalities, your therapist can support you in breaking free from these thought patterns. You can finally transform the way you think about yourself and establish new beliefs.
Move Forward With Goals
Do you ever feel you can’t achieve what you really want in life because of your childhood trauma? Maybe you aren’t where you truly want to be, and you wonder if it’s because you haven’t been able to move forward after going through traumatic experiences.
In therapy, you can develop a happier vision for your future and share your goals with your therapist. They can help you see that you have a life beyond your childhood trauma while guiding you through realistic steps towards your goals.
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Are you still suffering from the effects of childhood trauma? Working with a therapist can help. Reach out to us today to discuss your options for scheduling your first session.
