CLINICAL COUNSELLING SPECIALTY:

Childhood Trauma

Do you find yourself overreacting to small things or shutting down completely when emotions get big? Have you always felt like something from your past is still affecting how you see yourself or connect with others? If you’re starting to connect the dots between your past and present, therapy for childhood trauma may help you finally start feeling more in control, connected, and at peace in your life.

BOOK MY FIRST SESSION

When Childhood Survival Strategies Become Adult Struggles

Healing childhood trauma in adulthood is possible.

Childhood trauma can occur when a child witnesses or experiences overwhelming negative or traumatic events during the developmental years in the home and/or community.

Examples of trauma can include:

  • Abuse – physical, emotional, sexual
  • Neglect – unment emotional of physical needs, abandoment
  • Family Dysfunction – mental illness, divorce, marital distress or violence, substance abuse, etc
  • Community – school violence, bullying, natural disasters, accidents, war etc.

But there is hope – therapy helps you to understand and process past adverse experiences and unresolved emotions, develop healthier boundaries, coping strategies and communication skills. Developing these skills can change your life. Are you ready?

Book a 30 Minute Phone Consult More about My Approach

does your past speak through present-day Reactions?

Signs of Unresolved Trauma

Many people don’t realize their day-to-day struggles may be rooted in childhood experiences. If you’re wondering whether your past is still impacting your present, here are some common adult symptoms of childhood trauma that you may be feeling:

  • Often feeling like you don’t quite belong, even around family or friends
  • Finding it hard to ask for help, even when it’s needed
  • Struggling to speak up or set healthy boundaries
  • Spending a lot of energy trying to get difficult people to treat you well
  • Feeling uncomfortable or unsure in social situations
  • Judging yourself more harshly than you would judge others
  • Constantly comparing yourself to others and coming up short
  • Having a hard time knowing what you’re really feeling
  • Being unsure of your strengths or overly focused on your flaws
  • Feeling like something is holding you back from being fully present
  • Experiencing a deep sense of emptiness or disconnection
  • Secretly worrying that something is wrong with you
  • Struggling with consistency or self-discipline, even with good intentions

The more of the above you relate to the more likely childhood trauma is impacting your life and relationships. Know that you’re not alone. So many of us have survived this kind of developmental trauma and fortunately healing is possible.

Contact Lyn to start the healing process

Understanding How trauma shapes you

Longterm Effects of Unaddressed Childhood Trauma

Childhood trauma can have a devastating impact on healthy development and overall well-being and can contribute to long-term consequences as adults. Symptoms vary from person to person depending on the degree, duration or type of trauma but some common signs are:

  • Emotional dysregulation
  • Difficulty developing and maintaining healthy relationships
  • Substance abuse
  • Chronic health issues
  • Flashbacks or intrusive memories
  • Hypervigilance
  • Dissociation
  • Difficulty trusting people
  • Avoiding or isolating from people or situations
  • Disordered eating
  • Low Self Esteem

effects of childhood trauma in adulthood

how trauma from childhood shows up later in life

You might just now be realizing that the way you react, relate, or feel about yourself could be connected to things that happened long ago. Or maybe you’ve always known your childhood was painful but never had the time, space, or support to really explore it. Either way, you’re not alone, and more importantly you’re not imagining it. The effects of childhood trauma from the past often continues to echo in the present in ways that are easy to miss but deeply felt.

Emotional Reactivity or Numbness

You may feel like your emotions are always just under the surface and quick to rise, hard to manage. On the other end of the spectrum, you might feel shut down, like you can’t fully connect with what you’re feeling. Both are ways your nervous system learned to protect you.

Relationship Struggles

Whether it’s fear of getting too close, always expecting rejection, or losing yourself in others, trauma can make relationships confusing and exhausting. You might crave connection but not feel safe when you have it.

Chronic Anxiety or Inner Criticism

You may live with a constant sense of pressure, fear of failure, or a harsh inner voice that never lets up. This often comes from growing up in environments where safety, approval, or affection had to be earned.

People-Pleasing and Perfectionism

If you learned early on that being “good” kept you safe or accepted, you may now struggle to set boundaries, say no, or rest without guilt. You do everything for everyone else—but rarely ask what you need.

Want to talk about This?

WHAT YOU CAN DO

how to cope with childhood trauma as an adult

Healing from childhood trauma doesn’t mean erasing the past. It means learning how to care for the parts of you that still feel stuck in it. The process takes time, but there are ways to begin feeling more grounded, safe, and whole. Here are some steps that can help:

You don’t have to minimize it or justify it. Simply naming your experiences without blaming yourself is a powerful step toward healing.

Pay attention to the moments you feel anxious, shut down, or overly reactive. These are often echoes of the past. Awareness creates space to respond differently over time.

rauma often lives in the body. Gentle movement, deep breathing, grounding exercises, or simply checking in with how you feel physically can help restore a sense of safety.

You are allowed to say no, take space, and protect your energy. Learning to set healthy boundaries is a form of self-respect—especially if it wasn’t modeled for you growing up.

You may be carrying stories of shame, guilt, or not being “enough.” Healing involves replacing those messages with kindness and patience toward yourself—especially on the hard days.

You don’t have to navigate this alone. Therapy provides a safe, supportive place to process your story, understand how it’s still affecting you, and begin creating new, healthier patterns.

“If you’re starting to see how your past might still be affecting your present, that awareness alone is incredibly brave. You don’t have to have it all figured out before reaching out. Healing begins with curiosity, not certainty. When you’re ready, I’ll be here to walk alongside you.”

– Lyn Firth, MPCC, RQS

Get in Touch

Take the First Step

(By completing this form you will initiate a request for a Complimentary 30-minute Initial Consult with Lyn Firth.)