You are not alone. Many trauma survivors struggle with bad dreams and memories, have strong physical and emotional reactions when something reminds them of past traumatic events, feel badly about themselves, distrust other people, and believe the world is a dangerous place. Others may not remember parts of what happened, are constantly aware and watchful of their surroundings, and have difficulty sleeping. Moments of joy and happiness are fleeting if they happen at all. You no longer have to suffer with emotional pain in silence. You no longer have to be quick to anger or aggressive and not understand why. You no longer have to feel disconnected from those you love and struggle in your relationships.
These experiences are common responses to traumatic experiences. You are not crazy and there is nothing wrong with you. When trauma happens, our threat system takes over (i.e., fight, flight, freeze, and fawn) in order to keep us safe. After trauma, if we avoid our thoughts, feelings, and memories or are unable to talk about them with someone we trust, our threat system can stay stuck causing these symptoms. Often, adult survivors of childhood abuse spend much of their lifetime struggling to cope with trauma symptoms. They deeply bury old memories until something happens later in life to trigger them causing a flood of trauma symptoms that can no longer be ignored. Many people experience or witness traumatic events in adulthood including our valued veterans who struggle to return to civilian life after their service. For survivors of violence, accidents, tragic loss, and other traumatic experiences, time seems to stand still and they wonder if they will ever be able to move on and find peace.
There is hope. Trauma therapy offers the opportunity to quiet your threat system, reduce or even eliminate symptoms, and just feel better in your own skin. Trauma therapy isn’t easy and it is possible to face your fears and heal. Just as trauma happens in relationship, healing also happens in relationship. By finding and working with a therapist you can trust to walk alongside you in your healing journey, you can begin to let go and live the life you have been missing.