Surviving Childhood Trauma and Its Impacts on Adulthood
There is a lot that happens in our bodies when we have experienced childhood trauma that carry on with us into adulthood. This article will talk about how we are impacted by childhood trauma and what we can do to help heal from wounds created by the trauma endured.
The Mind, Body, and Gut connection:
We all have a nervous system that interacts with our brain. We also know that our bodies are also connected by our gut and the health of it. When we experience trauma the signals that tell us that we are experiencing danger become misconstrued. The nervous system meant to protect us can give us false information leading us to have overwhelming reactions to experiences and situations around us without specific reason. This can come in the form of panic disorders, anxiety disorders, which can also lead to depression disorders. Our mind, body, and gut reactions work together and when there is misalignment within the system, issues arise that can have impacts on how we live our life. Trauma has the ability to disrupt our nervous system and our bodies are able to remember how the trauma impacted us and continue to try and protect us in ways that do the opposite at times.
Anxiety and Depression Issues Related To Childhood Trauma:
Our traumatic pasts can keep us stuck in a loop. Depression symptoms can arise when we are stuck in our past and the experiences of our past. Anxiety can impact us when we have experienced trauma and then develop certain fears for our future that feel outside of our control. Our critical voices also can come from experiences related to childhood trauma. The messages that we had received from our childhood can become a part of the narrative that we tell ourselves. It can be hard to combat negative messages on our own that have developed from childhood because they can become so ingrained in us. The trauma we experienced in childhood impacts how we view our own gut reactions. We may start to believe that we cannot trust our own instincts or feelings due to being talked out of them or punished for having them. Work to heal from anxiety and depression that is a part of childhood trauma is by starting to reconnect with your body again and have compassion and trust for what it is trying to communicate.
Healing Wounds of Childhood Trauma:
We first need to recognize and acknowledge that trauma has been experienced for us before we can begin to heal from it. When we are caught in denial of our experience the work to heal won't be able to start. We must also acknowledge that healing from our wounds will take time. Years of unhealed trauma take work to unwind and process through. Once we are able to recognize ourselves, we can start practicing patience with ourselves. We can continue to work towards having compassion for ourselves and the experiences that have happened. Change will have to occur within us in the process of being able to heal and that willingness to change is also important to the process. All of this healing work is best started with a mental health professional. A mental health professional can help you to start identifying trauma experiences and guide you through the process of healing. Your therapist can be a gentle guide in challenging negative narratives that were created by traumas experienced. If you like what was in this article today, reach out to us at Inward Counseling to get started towards your healing journey. We look forward to hearing from you and to help you heal from your past traumas.
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