Often when a person experienced traumatic abuse early in life, such as childhood sexual abuse, for example, they never told anyone what happened, or if they told, they may not have been believed. It is not uncommon for anyone who has had these experiences, even if they told and were believed, to never receive any type of counseling at that time. In some cultures, it is simply swept under the rug. When this happens, and the child grows up to adulthood, they may find themselves experiencing emotions, thoughts and behaviors that they don't understand. Sometimes, everything has been going along normally, when out of no where there an emotion like anger or deep sadness may emerge, and the person has no reasonable explanation for it, except for what happened to them as a child.
Counseling is one way to begin identifying those experiences and piecing together what happened. In counseling, a trained therapist can help walk the person safely through past experiences, and facilitate the processing of those experiences. The therapist will assist the person in developing healthy coping tools, to replace unhealthy ones that may exist, such as addictions, self-injury, promiscuous relationships, and more. Counseling can also help the person to begin identifying triggers, such as sights, sounds, smells, or certain thoughts, that may be causing packs, anxiety, or just difficulties adjusting to daily life. The healthy coping tools that are developed in sessions can help the person with dealing and reacting to these triggers in a calmer fashion. |
AuthorJill Dean, Ed.S, LPC is a professional counselor in private practice in the metro Birmingham area of Alabama. She has over a decade of experience training in and working with survivors of trauma, especially domestic abuse and sexual assault/abuse. ArchivesCategories |