Trauma

Psychological trauma is not always a one-time acute event. Often this is a long-term or repetitive experience involving violence, humiliation, neglect, suppression of will, or emotional isolation..

Such experience can be obtained:

• in childhood — in an atmosphere of violence, hypercontrol, emotional coldness or chaotic environment;
• in partner relationships — in case of prolonged emotional, physical, or sexual abuse;
• in the face of threats, pressure, loss of a sense of security and borders.

This category also includes adult children of alcoholics and adult children of drug addicts — those who grew up in destructive families with emotionally immature and unstable parents.

Often such people take on excessive responsibility, do not feel personal boundaries, do not know how to rely on themselves, suffer from internal insecurity and anxious attachment.

Even if the traumatic period is in the past, its consequences continue to affect the perception of oneself, relationships with others, and the ability to live a calm, holistic life..

Possible manifestations:

Physical properties:

• chronic muscle tension;
• sleep disorders (insomnia, anxious dreams, frequent awakenings);
• headaches, fatigue, and breathing problems;
• vegetative reactions: rapid heartbeat, sweating, trembling;
• digestive disorders, a feeling of ‘inner tightness’.

Emotional ones:

• constant anxiety, a sense of threat;
• difficulties with trust, fear of intimacy;
• emotional instability or, conversely, emotional numbness;
• feelings of guilt, shame, and internal defectiveness;
• the feeling that ‘something is wrong with me’.

Behavioral issues:

• avoiding people, situations, or topics related to trauma;
• tendency to isolate, withdraw into oneself;
• self-punishment, strict internal control;
• repetition of traumatic scenarios (including in relationships);
• eating disorders: overeating, compulsive restrictions, tight weight control, anxiety and shame binge eating

In such cases, food becomes not a way of satiation, but a form of emotional self-regulation. This topic requires special attention and careful work.

How to work with it:

Psychotherapy of traumatic experiences requires a step-by-step and careful approach.

In the process of working, we:

• we create a safe space and restore a sense of internal control;
• gradually integrate the traumatic experience, reducing its impact on the present
• we restore contact with ourselves, with the body, with feelings
• we form a stable self-esteem and internal support
• learning to build healthy relationships-without fear, guilt, or self-sacrifice