Therapy for Childhood Trauma

As a trauma-informed therapist, I’ve worked with clients across a wide range of trauma histories. “Big T” trauma, “little t” trauma, ongoing, intermittent, and single-incident trauma… Almost all of us have had some sort of experience at some point or another that shakes our understanding of the world and overwhelms our ability to cope.

Yet when we don’t have a secure attachment figure or safe place to process and integrate these experiences, they can become “stuck” - affecting major things like our sense of self, understanding of the world, and nervous system.

There are many ways we can think about different forms of trauma today. Below are just a few:

Common Types of Trauma:

Childhood Trauma & Complex PTSD

Prolonged exposure to threat or instability. Relational trauma often ruptures the safety and security of our attachments, such as a caregiver who is frequently unresponsive, unpredictable, physically, verbally, or emotionally abusive, or neglectful. May also include persistent bullying by peers and other forms of shame, humiliation and abuse.

Single-Incident Trauma & PTSD

Related to distinct contexts or incidents of threat, such as sexual assault, combat, near-death experiences, domestic violence, or witnessing a traumatic death or suicide attempt. Can also include major life events such as the loss of a job or experiencing a major illness.

Collective Trauma

Traumatic events experienced by entire groups or societies, such as racism, pandemics, terrorism, natural disasters, financial crises, and war. Symptoms and lasting impacts are often experienced similarly across a population.

Intergenerational Trauma

Trauma that continues have affects across families and generations. In addition to symptoms naturally perpetuating the cycle of trauma through cause and effect, new research in epigenetics shows us that in many cases trauma can have effect on the next generation all the way down at the genetic level.

Common Trauma symptoms:

Fear & avoidance
Low self-worth & self-esteem
Emotional and nervous system dysregulation
Inability to self-regulate and self-sooth
Challenges in interpersonal relationships
Withdrawal & isolation from others
Difficulty trusting and opening up to others

Intrusive thoughts, flashbacks & nightmares
Insomnia & other sleep problems
Chronic pain
Dissociation and repressed memories
Numbness and loss of interest
Feelings of of powerlessness

Healing from Trauma

Ultimately trauma-focused therapy aims to help clients heal deep traumatic wounds through processing and integration, as well as through therapeutic work that aids in rewiring the nervous system to increase its capacity for healthy connection and regulation.

Many times our ability to effectively address and work through trauma can even lead to post-traumatic growth, which allows us to grow, making meaning of, and form greater resilience through these very experiences themselves.

To explore if trauma-informed therapy is right for you, book a free 15-minute consultation below.

Evidence-based approaches I frequently use when working with trauma: