Emotions have a bad reputation. We even refer to some of them as “negative,” when in fact what we mean is “painful.” Anger, fear, shame, sadness don’t feel good and if we are not guided in regulating and co-regulating them early on in our lives,…
For a long time, I thought I had a pretty great childhood. And in many ways, it was. My basic needs were met—I had food, shelter, parents who were physically present, we had fun vacations together, and I knew my mom loved me. So when I started struggling with anger and anxiety, I thought something was wrong with me. I believed I was just too sensitive, too reactive, too much.
“I don’t remember much from my childhood. I don’t think I can work on my trauma if I don’t have memories. How can I heal something I don’t even fully understand?”
As a trauma therapist, I hear something like this at least once every couple of months.
