What do I mean by Trauma?
My specialty lies in working with clients who have survived emotional and psychological abuse and neglect (and often other types of abuse are present too). Sometimes I call emotional and psychological abuse “sneaky trauma” as we often don’t even realize it’s happening to us or the impact it’s having.
Since emotional and psychological abuse can be ‘sneaky’ here are some points to help you consider if you are or have experienced it:
Not being able to share your emotions as you fear some form of punishment, or that your emotions won’t matter
Not having your boundaries respected, or not feeling like you’re allowed to have boundaries
Being regularly insulted, humiliated, controlled, or ignored by people who are supposed to love you
Your parents or caregivers expected you to take on adult responsibilities as a child (i.e., you became your parents’ confidante or had to do chores or childcare that was not appropriate at your age when you were young).
Being treated differently from your siblings, who got more care, resources, or opportunities than you did
Feeling judged, body shamed, or criticized regularly
Your parents/caregivers were either absent or disinterested in spending time with you
Your parents/caregivers gave you signs that you can’t, or they don’t want you to succeed
You didn’t have anyone modelling healthy relationships, romantic or otherwise, during your childhood
You had emotionally immature parents who may have struggled with empathy, their emotions, who were defensive, lacked accountability, or were selfish.
If you have experienced any of the above circumstances, let’s connect so we can discuss how trauma therapy can help.