There are situations that we have experienced during childhood that mark us. Some mark us in a way that not only remains part of our past, but continues to affect us even in the present. In fact, some of these childhood experiences hurt us so much that we have left them buried in our unconscious, apparently we have forgotten about them, however, in one way or another we continue to relive them and they influence our daily lives. People who have suffered childhood trauma and who have not yet been able to overcome it, continue to react like that injured child who was in danger even though they were in the best condition in their present. This causes the person to act in a maladaptive manner on certain occasions, which inevitably decreases their emotional well-being and affects their ability to relate to other people. What is emotional trauma? Are traumas overcome? Can childhood trauma be overcome in adulthood? In this Psychology-Online article: how to overcome childhood traumawe are going to introduce you to a series of tips that will help you to know how to achieve it.
What is psychological trauma and how to overcome it
A traumatic event can cause psychological problems in anyone. Then, it would be said that the person has developed psychological trauma. But, ? A psychological trauma is like an internal wound. It is caused by exposure to a life event of such emotional impact that the person is not able to process it. Therefore, to the question “?”, we will answer that by reprocessing that situation and accepting it. The process of accepting a traumatic event is very complex, which is why the help of a professional is recommended.
childhood traumas
During childhood we are much more vulnerable and our survival depends on caregivers. Therefore, negligent behavior by caregivers can be experienced as a threat to the child. Traumatic events can be mistreatment, abandonment, abuse, illness, among others. The consequences that these events have in the adulthood of the people who have suffered them can range from lack of, health effects, obesity, problems with drugs and alcohol or risky sexual behavior.
Psychological therapy to overcome emotional trauma
When we have had one or more traumatic experiences in childhood that do not allow us to feel the way we want, that increasingly bring us more problems in one or more areas of our life and that no matter how much we have tried we have not been able to overcome them, the option It is more appropriate to start psychological therapy. The purpose of psychological therapy is to receive the help of a professional who can guide us so that we can overcome the trauma that is affecting us so much at this moment in the most appropriate and healthy way. Therapy to overcome childhood trauma can be approached from different psychological currents, among them is that where the main objective is to heal our inner child.
The inner child in Gestalt therapy
When we talk about the inner child, within the scope of Gestalt therapy, we refer to all those childhood emotional experiences that we retain until now. This is why we can say that there are two types of inner child: the healthy one, which refers to those positive capacities that we have during childhood, such as: creativity, spontaneity, curiosity, imagination, vitality, live the present moment without worrying about the future or getting bitter about the past, among many others that we generally lose over the years. On the other hand there is the wounded inner childwhich is the one who did not feel loved or valued enough and who even became mistreated and humiliated, so seeks love and recognition from others through inappropriate behavior.
The fact of having our inner child wounded has repercussions on our adult life, so every time we experience a situation that we consciously or unconsciously relate to the traumatic events of childhood, a series of events will be unleashed. maladaptive emotions and behaviors that cause us harm to ourselves.
Overcoming childhood trauma as an adult: examples
For Gestalt therapy, the fact attend to our inner child and heal the wounds caused in the past that continue to impact our present, is undoubtedly the best way to become healthy and autonomous adults. There are different exercises with which you can work on the inner child in therapy, some examples of them are the following:
- Exercise 1: Bring to mind some pleasant memory from the past or present and focus on the pleasant sensations produced by it. Then it is about expanding that sensation, connecting with our inner child and once we have done so, some phrases are repeated in our mind where as an adult we tell our inner child how much we recognize him, that we love him, we protect him, we care, etc.
- Exercise 2: Use an object that symbolizes our inner child, such as a stuffed animal or doll, place it on our legs, express how much we love it and tell it nice things that we need to hear. They can be things like: “you are not alone, I am here with you”, “I am here to support and protect you”, “don’t be afraid”, “I will always be with you”, etc.
How to overcome childhood trauma: 3 tips
After having introduced you to the way in which therapy works to overcome childhood traumas, specifically through Gestalt therapy. We are going to give you 3 tips that can help you overcome a childhood trauma:
- Take responsibility for our difficulties. It is not about blaming parents, caregivers or people who in one way or another hurt us in the past, but rather about becoming aware of where our difficulties come from and from there beginning to make an action plan to overcome them.
- Meditation. Meditation will undoubtedly be a great ally so that we can overcome childhood traumas effectively. Among them is the fact that it helps us calm our mind and focus on what really matters, which is the present moment. So despite having experienced difficult situations in childhood, we can continue to fully enjoy every moment of life. our life.
- Identify maladaptive behaviors. Try to identify all those behaviors, beliefs or thoughts related to the difficult situations you experienced in the past and try to see them from a more objective approach so that you can finally begin to modify them for more positive ones.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Church, VI (2019, January 31). How to heal the wounded inner child. Retrieved February 18, 2019, from https://www.psicologiayconsciencia.com/nino-interior/