About a year and a half ago, my partner was in a serious car crash, and the phone call I received telling me the news did not clarify her wellbeing. What ensued was a series of events bringing up every defense mechanism within me as my mind and body quickly shifted into a trauma response.
I went to therapy a couple of days later, and I remember yelling that these problems were supposed to be gone, and I had already processed all these things. My therapist, with empathy and kindness, said, “You experienced helplessness, which makes sense why these things from previous experiences of helplessness would come back up. The goal of therapy is not to feel happy or do away with these parts of our story, but to integrate them and build resiliency within ourselves as we revisit these parts within us.”
I often tell my clients this story to encourage them in their healing journey because when, not if, old feelings, patterns, and wounds come back up, it can feel defeating and shameful. As a therapist attempting to be trauma wise and embodied, I would be doing a disservice to my clients if I did not recognize that wounds are revisited in many ways throughout life and therapy.
Trauma impacts our brains and is stored within our bodies, and the process of healing requires returning to the wounds as we continue to integrate them into our story. If you have experienced relational, developmental, or situational trauma, and are looking for someone or something to help explore these parts of your story that seem to be coming back up within your life, consider reaching out to a therapist specialized and trained to provide you the care you need and deserve.
Written by: Chase Worth, MA, LPCC