Adults with Childhood Trauma
“My childhood was fine–I had food and shelter and no one hit me.”
“It wasn’t that bad… other kids had it worse.”
… “So why do I feel so broken?”
Most of my clients who sit across from me with years of broken relationships, difficulty developing trust, and fear of vulnerability say these words at some point in the first few times we meet.
And when we delve deeper, we discover the unmet needs, the quiet disapproval for every mistake, the dismissed feelings and remarks about being too dramatic.
Unpacking how a “normal” childhood has led to pervasive feelings of fear AND avoidance of people is hard and sometimes scary work, and the work of reaching out for help is often the most frightening step.
Once you take that step, I will meet you where you are at. I know the paths that can lead to this moment, and I can walk with you as you choose new routes to healing.
Reach out for a free consultation to decide if we are a good fit
My Approach to Relational, Attachment, & Developmental Trauma
The most important part of healing from this kind of trauma is establishing trust. Clients sometimes wonder “how can I learn to trust you if I can’t learn to trust?”
Trust is built by a therapist consistently showing up. I model–over and over–vulnerability, authenticity, and consistency, until your attachment system begins to feel regulated enough to take the small risks necessary to begin believing it might be safe enough. Each risk, met with safe and consistent responses, creates new a new experience of how it feels to be in a relationship that can be counted on.
The road from there depends on the needs that weren’t met–or were met inconsistently– as a child, and how our work together needs to help meet them. I cannot smooth the bumps and cracks in the pavement, but I can be there to help make your way across them.