Experiences such as neglect, abuse, and household dysfunction during childhood have the potential to negatively impact an individual’s well-being, mental health, ability to cope with stressors, and self-perception.

Our childhood experiences serve as a blueprint to our personalities, how we view ourselves and how we relate to the world around us. Childhood trauma can make us doubt our inherent value, acceptability, and worthiness of love. Childhood trauma also shapes our perception of the world as a threatening and scary place and that other people cannot be trusted and create the isolating belief that you can only rely on yourself.

Childhood trauma presents itself in the following ways:

• Anxiety, worries, fears, panic and a sense that no matter what you do things will always remain the same

• Depression or deep, unexplained sadness

• Struggles to manage emotions, leading to emotional outbursts, or emotional numbing

• Issues with self-esteem, self-worth and self-confidence

• Difficulties trusting others, asking for what you need, and feeling safe and secure in romantic relationships

• Challenging relationships with family members

• Dysfunctional beliefs and unhelpful automatic behaviour patterns that reinforce feelings of dissatisfaction and feeling stuck

• Feeling a lack of personal growth and questioning the meaningfulness of day-to-day living

• Feelings of spiritual stagnation, that there is a lack of spiritual growth or no energy to pursue spiritual and personal development

• Career dissatisfaction, trouble identifying career goals and feeling a lack of satisfaction and fulfillment at work

• Grief and stress about not having the life you had envisioned for yourself, no matter how hard you tried to make it a reality

Your difficult childhood experiences do not need to continue to define your life today. Together we will work to bring awareness to and heal your experience of childhood trauma and work through limiting beliefs you hold about yourself and others, help you develop insight, self-acceptance and self-compassion, enhance self-esteem, work through symptoms of anxiety and depression, improve emotional awareness and emotional regulation, and find a sense of purpose and meaning so that you can experience a happy, meaningful and satisfying life.