Trauma is awful no matter the cause.
I work with so many people who learned to minimize the impact of traumatic life events.
Many times, people push down the overwhelming feelings associated with the trauma, so they can cope with what happened. One key reason… it seems easier and safer to do so.
But people don’t always recognize whatever they’ve gone through as traumatic until later on when it spills out into other areas of life such as in relationships or general functioning. Just like a physical wound may fester and become infected if left untreated, the piling on of unaddressed emotions can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression.
You don’t have to be grateful it isn’t worse. Trauma is different for everyone, and everyone experiences it and reacts to it differently. Some people can live relatively normal lives despite their trauma, whereas others are changed forever because of it. None of that changes the fact that it is all valid, and everyone who has experienced it is allowed to feel how they feel.
Your trauma is valid. Period.
I see you.
