@TraumaTherapySD

  • Trust Yourself

    Trust is a major issue whenever there has been trauma, and especially if you have grown up in a home that was neglectful, abusive or invalidating.

    Trusting yourself can be hard for a number of reasons. First of all, in these types of families there is often gaslighting. Gaslighting is when you are told that what you saw or experience or felt was not real or simply something that you made up. When this message is coming from an authority figure, it can have a devastating effect on a child’s trust in themselves, their eyes, their senses and experiences

    Then there is another layer when the child identifies as LGBTQIA+ as society in general and people in their lives in particular have no problem questioning their identity or experience. It is not uncommon to hear questions about if children or teens really know their gender identity. But this question sis only asked of those who are not cisgender. This also contributes to a sense of distrust in one’s own inner experience.

    But I am here to tell you that trust in oneself can be re-established. It is often through therapy that these folks learn to unpack all of the messages they were given that have led them to mistrust themselves. By the simple fact of my clients having made it to a point in their lives to seek therapy is proof that they know how to survive. It is not always in the healthiest or happiest manner, but they have the skills and the tenacity, and if we can help get them to trust that and harness it, the sky is the limit.

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