Trauma can be a one time event such as a car accident, personal violence, or even witnessing tragic world events. Trauma can also be extremely complex. A lifetime of repeated small, medium and significant negative messages from important people in your life, inconsistent feelings of safety, frequent chaos or losses can create life long difficulties in trusting others and yourself. Childhood neglect, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse can be triggered later in life even after you previously thought you were “over it.” Different stages of development and milestone experiences may bring up past memories and feelings in ways you were never expecting.

The timeline of how we address trauma is no “one size fits all” method. Trusting a therapist to guide you through trauma work can be daunting. The pace you go should always be up to you. A therapist may encourage you to move through avoidance, but this should never be forced. Sometimes we work on trauma in stages and take breaks. Sharing the scariest and most intimate experiences of your life should never feel pressured. There are many tools we can use to work through the negative beliefs created about yourself through your past experiences.

If you have had negative experiences in therapy in the past, this can make trauma work even more overwhelming. This work is not easy. Finding the courage to try again is something to be proud of.