Trauma

Maybe you’ve never thought of yourself as a trauma survivor, but when you look back on your life, there may be experiences that you’ve never fully recovered from. Perhaps you dealt with sexual trauma or abuse in a past relationship or had a partner who was controlling or narcissistic. As a result, you might find it hard to feel safe in your relationships and have trouble dating because you’re afraid of being hurt again. Maybe you just don’t seem to connect with people the way that you used to, and you’re wondering if it’s time to seek therapy for trauma

Trauma can deeply impact your sense of self worth.

Your inability to maintain healthy relationships could lead to isolation and loneliness. You might be characterized by people-pleasing behaviors and have a tough time speaking up, saying no, and setting boundaries for yourself. Perhaps you constantly find yourself in relationships where your needs go unmet and you don’t feel safe expressing yourself or taking up space. Deep down, maybe you struggle to believe that you are worthy of living a good life or having healthy connections.

To cope with your low self-esteem, you may engage in self-sabotaging behaviors like drinking, drug use, or disordered eating. Yet although these habits may bring temporary relief, they probably only make you feel worse in the long run.

If you want to improve your self-worth, learn new coping skills, and free yourself from the shackles of the past, we encourage you to pursue counseling with us. At Therapy for Women Center in Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd, our therapists are committed to helping you process and resolve your trauma so that you can live a more authentic and empowered life.

Many people have experienced trauma without even realizing it.

Contrary to popular belief, trauma doesn’t just happen to people who’ve suffered from war, violence, or natural disasters. It’s a universal predicament that impacts millions of people, and most forms of trauma take place in relatively mundane settings. You can experience trauma from bullying, childhood neglect, giving birth, suffering from a chronic illness, losing a loved one, or having an abusive boss at work.

The truth is that life is really hard and many of us have experiences that—whether we know it or not—dramatically change our lives. Not all of these experiences lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but they can subtly impact the way we approach relationships and cause us to fall into unhealthy patterns of behavior. If there’s something in your past that you’re struggling to recover from, you may have suffered from a traumatic event. The right therapist can help you make connections between the past and present and understand the ways that your experience has affected you.

The cultural discussion around trauma has gotten much louder in recent years.

It’s become increasingly common to talk about trauma in today’s world. A lot of this can be attributed to the pandemic, which shook up the entire globe and left millions of people with both physical and emotional scars. Additionally, the rise of social media has emboldened many survivors to come forward and tell the world, “I had that experience, too.” Needless to say, the barriers that once kept trauma in the dark are starting to break down and people are beginning to realize they are not alone.

That said, a stigma still persists and there is still a culture of shame surrounding people who struggle with prolonged trauma. This is why it’s so important to seek therapy. It gives you a safe, judgment-free space to work through your emotional pain with someone who will listen to you, validate you, and believe your story.