I Experienced Childhood Trauma and Didn’t Even Know it
Until a single sentence in a book turned my life upside down
I remember this day as if it was yesterday.
It was a cold winter morning, and I was sitting at the kitchen table reading a book on addiction by Dr. Gabor Maté. Suddenly, as my eyes darted across the page, my heart started pounding so fast it almost jumped into my throat.
I had originally picked up this book to research the topic of addiction so I could help my clients better. Up until this point, I’d never considered myself truly addicted to anything. Sure, my relationship with food wasn’t always the best, and I’d had a few party weekends in my twenties… but ‘addicted’ was a bit of a strong word.
I didn’t really think I had any trauma either, after all ‘I’d had a great childhood’. This next sentence was about to change all that.
I read and re-read it at least seven times.
“Children who continue to suck their thumbs past infancy are attempting to soothe themselves; it’s always a sign of emotional distress.”
“Holy crap,” I thought, as I remembered I used to suck my thumb until I was 12 years old. Eagerly, I read on.
