Recognising and treating trauma: Trauma is accompanied by shattering the world view as well as feelings of loss of control and helplessness.

A trauma leaves no visible scars—but it profoundly affects the body, psyche, and nervous system. Especially childhood traumas, developmental traumas, and complex post-traumatic stress disorders (complex PTSD) influence not only childhood experiences but also shape one’s entire adult life.

But what exactly is trauma? Which symptoms point to it—and how can psychological therapy help process trauma and build a stable, meaningful life?

What Is Trauma?

Trauma is a psychological wound that occurs when someone experiences a situation so overwhelming—physically or emotionally—without coping resources available. It often shakes one’s self-concept and worldview, triggering feelings of loss of control, powerlessness, and helplessness. Such situations include:

• Violence in childhood (physical, emotional, sexual)
• Emotional neglect
• Loss of a parent or significant caregiver
• Flight, war, abuse
• Attachment ruptures (e.g., due to foster care or institutionalization)
• Chronic overwhelm without support

PTSD and Complex PTSD – What Does That Mean?

The terms PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and its German equivalent PTBS (Posttraumatische Belastungsstörung) refer to the same condition. PTSD can follow single traumatic events—such as a car accident or assault—especially when not adequately processed.

Complex PTSD (complex post-traumatic stress disorder) often develops from long-term trauma in childhood, particularly due to emotional abuse, neglect, or early-life trauma.

Typical symptoms include:

• Intrusions (flashbacks, nightmares)
• Avoidance (e.g., staying away from certain situations, not allowing closeness)
• Hyperarousal (constant tension, irritability)
• Negative self-image (“I’m to blame,” “I’m worthless”)
• Dissociation (feeling detached or unreal)

Childhood Trauma: How Early Wounds Shape an Entire Life

Childhood trauma often remains hidden because children lack the language to express what they’re missing or in pain about. Repressed childhood emotions continue to operate in the subconscious, affecting relationships, self-esteem, stress responses, and the capacity to bond well into adulthood.

Common Late-Life Consequences:

• Inability to form healthy relationships, attachment anxiety
• Feelings of inner emptiness or abandonment
• Addictive behaviors, self-harm, eating disorders
• Chronic fatigue, psychosomatic symptoms
• Lack of childhood memories—which can indicate early childhood trauma

Many people don’t even recognize their trauma until adulthood, wondering, “Do I have trauma?”

Developmental Trauma – When the Nervous System Never Finds Rest

A developmental trauma arises when a child grows up in a consistently emotionally unsafe, unstable, or threatening environment. It’s not necessarily one dramatic event, but ongoing emotional overburdening.

Developmental Trauma Symptoms in Adults:

• Chronic feelings of insecurity or mistrust
• Difficulty with closeness and intimacy
• Identity issues, a diffuse sense of self
• Withdrawal, conflict avoidance, fear of intimacy
• Recurring life patterns that are hard to break

Which Forms of Therapy Help with Childhood Trauma?

Recognizing and treating trauma doesn’t make the past go away. It means giving the pain space, processing it safely, and regulating the nervous system. The goal isn’t “healing” in the traditional sense, but rather:

• Symptom relief
• Improved quality of life
• Regaining self-efficacy and emotional stability

Effective Trauma Therapy Approaches:

1. Psychotherapy for childhood processing
   → e.g., talk therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy
2. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
   → especially effective for PTSD and complex PTSD
3. Somatic Experiencing
   → addresses trauma stored in the body
4. Healing attachment trauma through relationships
   → the therapeutic relationship acts as a safe haven for new experiences
5. Trauma-healing exercises for daily life
   → mindfulness, breathing exercises, body work, self-compassion

“Can I Heal Trauma Myself?”

This question is common among those affected. It’s important to know:
You can do a lot on your own—but you don’t have to do it alone.

Working through childhood trauma often requires guidance because the nervous system lacks a stable reference point. Still, people can take significant steps through talk therapy, self-help resources, books, support groups, and body-based practices.

Helpful Questions for Reflection:

• What exactly is a childhood trauma—and how is it showing up in my life?
• Which therapy could help me process my childhood?
• How can I recognize and honor my abandonment trauma?
• How are emotional wounds from childhood showing up now—in relationships, work, or my identity?

Processing Childhood—Which Therapy to Choose?

If you want to process your childhood, it’s wise to engage not just at a cognitive level but also emotionally, physically, and relationally.

Therapy options at a glance:

• Psychodynamic therapy: explores childhood experiences and their effects
• Systemic therapy: looks at family patterns and family trauma
• Body-psychotherapy: helps release early trauma stored in the body
• Trauma therapy in Austria: available through well-trained professionals in clinics, private practices, and online platforms

From Surviving to Living – What Therapy Makes Possible

Recognising and treating trauma: If you’ve experienced trauma, you’ve survived. Therapy supports you to move from survival to truly living—with real connections, joy, inner calm, and a stable sense of self.

What’s achievable:

• Learning emotional regulation
• Re-establishing trust in self and others
• Allowing intimacy and closeness
• Gradually processing childhood trauma
• Building a new quality of life grounded in safety, self-worth, and purpose

Healing or Relief – What’s Realistic?

A common question is: “Is complex PTSD curable?”

Realistically, completely “healing” from past trauma isn’t possible in the sense of undoing the experience. However:
PTSD symptoms can be relieved significantly, offering new possibilities and perspectives.

Medication for Complex PTSD

When symptoms are severe, antidepressants or anxiolytics may help stabilize—always as a supplement to psychotherapy and under medical guidance.

Conclusion: Understand, Accept and Transform Trauma

Recognising and treating trauma: Trauma doesn’t define who you are—but it explains why you feel, think, and react the way you do.

Whether it involves childhood attachment trauma, repressed feelings from childhood, or abandonment trauma:
The first step is understanding, the second is acceptance, the third is change—with patience, compassion, and professional support.

Would you like to get more information on trauma? Are you unsure if you’re showing signs of a trauma-related disorder? Are you interested in working through traumatic experiences from your childhood? Let’s talk about it in a free initial session!

References:

• van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score. Penguin Books.
• Rothschild, B. (2000). The Body Remembers. Norton.
• Reddemann, L. (2005). Imagination als heilsame Kraft. Klett-Cotta.
• Huber, M. (2021). Trauma und die Folgen. Junfermann Verlag.
• ISSTD, EMDRIA, ÖBVP – Fachverbände für Traumatherapie