Online Therapy for Childhood Trauma and PTSD
Your Childhood was Trash, but Your Adulthood Doesn’t Have to Be.
Childhood Trauma can feel like an emotional prison that defines every part of your identity. Your self-worth, your health, and your relationships all become a mirror for the pain and suffering you had to endure back then.
Nothing haunts us like the things we don’t say.
Mitch Albom
What Is Childhood Trauma?
Childhood Trauma is a term used describe any experiences occurring during childhood or adolescence that are dangerous or threatening to one’s since of physical and emotional security.
This term is sometimes used interchangeably with the term “Intergenerational Trauma” because it is trauma typically experienced within close familial relationships, leading to repeated patterns of unhealthy coping mechanisms, toxic relationships, negative self perception, and poor mental and physical health.
Signs and Symptoms of Childhood Trauma
In Children
Crying due to mentioning or being in the presence of certain “trusted” adults or minors (who may have participated in causing harm).
Resistance when approaching specific locations (where trauma may have occurred).
Reenactment of violence or sexual acts with toys, peers, or through drawings.
Recurrent nightmares or sleep disturbances.
Regression of developmental skills such as talking and potty training.
In Adults
Strong feelings of anger and rage that may be expressed through physical or verbal outbursts.
Avoidance of certain family members or old friends, especially at large gatherings during holidays or reunions.
High anxiety and perfectionism.
Poor self-esteem.
Frequent self-deprecation.
Poor peer relationships.
If I Experienced Childhood Trauma Does That Mean That I Have PTSD?
PTSD is disorder that develops after experiencing or witnessing an event that is scary, threatening, or harmful. Children who survive traumatic experiences may develop, however not all child survivors of trauma will develop the disorder.
Here are some differences between PTSD and Childhood Trauma:
PTSD
PTSD typically develops following a traumatic incident. PTSD is known for symptoms such as, increased fearfulness, difficulty feeling safe, difficulty with trusting others, paranoia, staying on the lookout for danger, and avoidance of people, places, or things that remind you of the trauma.
Children and adults who experience trauma over a prolonged period of time, or who have experienced multiple traumas throughout life, may develop complex PTSD (c-PTSD).
PTSD symptoms typically develop within three months of a traumatic experience, however, some may not develop the disorder until much later, when a repressed experience is triggered.
Childhood Trauma
Childhood Trauma refers to the time during which a trauma was experienced. It is most often experienced within close interpersonal relationships, usually trusted adults or minors.
Survivors of childhood trauma may develop PTSD or c-PTSD if they experience multiple or prolonged trauma throughout childhood. however, some children may never meet full criteria for a diagnosis of PTSD.
Instead, they may develop other mental health disorders such a anxiety, depression, or a mood disorder. Most often, survivors of childhood trauma struggle with forming and maintaining healthy and satisfying relationships with their selves and others.
Nothing haunts us like the things we don’t say.
- Mitch Albom
Childhood Trauma Affects the Adult You’ll Become!
Adults who have had prolonged experiences of trauma during childhood are more likely to display:
People Pleasing Behaviors
You’ve learned that speaking up for yourself and having your own needs just causes problems, so, you put yourself on the back burner and try to be everything that everyone else desires.
Difficulty forming and maintaining healthy relationships.
Maybe you feel like you are stuck in a cycle of toxic relationships, and there is no hope for you to ever be loved by a romantic partner. Maybe when things get tough, you lash out or abandon ship to protect yourself from being hurt again.
Distorted self-perception.
You struggle with feeling that you deserve all of the bad things that happen to you, because all of those bad things are your fault.
Difficulty being your authentic self.
You hide your true self from others, and you sometime feel like you are even living a double life. You feel internal conflict about whether of not it is safe to even show people the real you.
You are constantly battling stress, anxiety and panic attacks.
Your body and your life always feels like it is completely overwhelming and out of your control. You’ve tried meditation and deep breathing, but that just isn’t cutting it.
Trauma Therapy Can Help You:
Understand how your trauma is manifesting in your body.
Learn how to effectively manage your emotions to stop panic attacks and trauma symptoms in their tracks.
Release feeling of shame and guilt related to harmful childhood experiences and relationships.
Surround yourself with healthy people who fill you with love and joy.
Learn to trust yourself to make decisions that are right for you.
EMDR can help when talk therapy is not enough.
EMDR, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a therapeutic technique that aids the brain natural ability to heal itself and improve overall mental health. EMDR activates the parts of the brain that takes in information and the parts that store it, to help your brain establish new healthier ways of processing the traumatic experiences that you survived throughout childhood. For many, EMDR cuts treatment of PTSD and other trauma related symptoms in half, and some people experience significant relief of symptoms after just one session of reprocessing.
The best thing is, you don’t even have to share the details of you trauma if you don’t want to. If don’t have any more time to spend stuck in past, EMDR may be the right fit for you!