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Exposure to emotionally and physically harmful or life-threatening experiences that evokes feelings of helplessness, fear, or terror is what we casually refer to as “psychological trauma” (7). Some manage to work through such an event with no long-lasting consequences, but often traumatic events lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its adversary symptoms impacting day-to-day life years after. Survivors of childhood trauma are especially at risk of developing PTSD as their brain is still developing (5). 

UNDERSTANDING PTSD

Here are some key facts on PTSD (1):

• It can develop from a direct experience, witnessing the event as it occurs to others, or hearing about it happening to someone close.
• Traumatic events include exposure or even a threat of death, natural disasters, physical or sexual violence and abuse, neglect, terrorism, violent accidents, etc.
• There is also complex PTSD, which results from prolonged or cumulative traumatic events, especially in childhood. Continuous parental neglect or repeated abuse in early life most often leads to PTSD.

HOW CHILDHOOD TRAUMA INFLUENCES ADULT LIFE

The essence of trauma is in the inability to process the event fully and let it go as “the past”. That’s why trauma survivors feel like they are still in danger and can go in “fight, flight, or freeze” mode in harmless situations that trigger memories of traumatic events in some way (5). It may be connected to people, colors, specific settings, or behaviors that might seem unremarkable to anyone else.

Other symptoms that make everyday life more challenging might include (7):

• flashbacks and nightmares;
• negative self-perception and guilt, as one feels they are at fault for the traumatic event that happened to them;
• development of anxiety and depression;
• numbed responses and dissociation (feeling detached from your body);
• self-destructive behaviors including substance abuse and eating disorders (8);
• feeling socially detached;
• hyper-arousal like irritability, anger, sleep problems.

TRAUMA INTERVENTION

It takes time to process trauma and set yourself free. And while childhood trauma is deeply rooted, dealing with it is not as challenging as with ongoing trauma, for example, when you are still connected to your abuser.

Seeking professional help is always the first step. Most often, therapists use cognitive-behavioral, exposure, and group therapy for trauma intervention. 

In addition, they involve many stress-relief and mindfulness techniques to aid the process like meditation or journaling. These can be used as self-help to tackle specific symptoms and minimize trauma’s presence in everyday life.

However, immersing yourself in the details of the traumatic events might cause re-traumatization, when you feel as if you are experiencing everything all over again (1). So we advise you to tread lightly and get professional help if you can’t use these techniques on your own.

PROGRESSIVE MUSCLE RELAXATION

Why: This relaxation technique helps reduce stress and anxiety and can become a coping mechanism when you feel overwhelmed (4).

How: It’s as simple as it sounds. Get in a comfortable position and start with your face. Try tightening all the muscles for five seconds by squinting, clenching the jaw, and so on. Then release the tension by relaxing the face. Gradually, move on to all the body parts and repeat this tense-relax bit for each.

ART THERAPY

Why: If you struggle to talk about your childhood trauma, art therapy is a good outlet. It promotes healing while being a safer option in case you struggle with hyperarousal (2).

How: You can start by drawing your safe place. Another useful prompt is reimagining yourself as a tree: you can mark roots with all your good qualities and leaves — with the changes you want. (2)

GROUNDING

Why: grounding techniques help with flashbacks and triggered memories, as you “ground” yourself in here and now instead of dissociating (6).

How:

• You can think of all the differences between a current situation and the traumatic one using all the five senses. List how your physical sensations, scents, or people around you are not the same as back then.
• Come up with a few positive words to repeat, like a mantra, so that you are reminded it’s safe now. It can be as simple as “I’m okay” or “I am safe”.
• Carry a small object unrelated to trauma to ground yourself. When you feel distressed, pull it out and focus on its texture or smell. A small soft toy or some essential oil are good options.

JOURNALING

Why: Expressive writing has proven to be useful for emotional self-regulation, so it can assist with anxiety, stress, anger, and self-perception issues associated with childhood trauma (3).

How: 

1. Set aside 10 to 20 minutes a day to journal in a quiet place. 
2. Reflect on the traumatic event with as much or as little detail you feel comfortable with. You can write about what you learnt from this experience, causes of stress in your present life, how your trauma impacts others, or anything else relevant.
3. Read your entry and notice how it makes you feel. Did your emotions change once you’ve journaled about this?
4. Try to repeat writing on the same subject 3-4 times to gain clarity for processing the event. 

MEDITATION

Why: Different kinds of meditation (mindfulness, mantra, transcendental) are a researched tool for trauma intervention (10). Improving sleep quality, managing anxiety and depression, increasing awareness, and promoting self-compassion are only a few of the benefits.

How: We’ve designed a guided meditation for processing childhood trauma so that you can free yourself from the past. Try it out!

SOURCES:

1. Behind the Term: Trauma (2016, calswec.berkeley.edu)
2. How art therapy has helped those with PTSD (n.d., ptsduk.org)
3. How Journaling Can Help With PTSD(2020, verywellmind.com)
4. Relaxation Techniques for Trauma (2016, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
5. Supporting adults who have experienced trauma or abuse in childhood (n. d., priorygroup.com)
6. PTSD and CPTSD self-help guide (n. d., nhsinform.scot)
7. The impact and long-term effects of childhood trauma (2018, tandfonline.com)
8. The Role of Stress, Trauma, and PTSD in the Etiology and Treatment of Eating Disorders, Addictions, and Substance Use Disorders (2014, researchgate.net)
9. The Theoretical and Empirical Basis for Meditation as an Intervention for PTSD(2012, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)