How to Heal From Your Childhood Trauma
There is no one way to recover and heal from any trauma. Each survivor chooses their own path or stumbles across it.~Laurie Matthew
Traumatic childhood experiences have a dramatic effect on relationships with our children. As a parent who experienced neglect as a child, my process is painful to navigate.
I have two young children, ages 8 and 4. My youngest is a picky eater. She makes relatively healthy choices, based on what I’m offering her. It’s common for four-year-olds to be picky sometimes. But I make a huge deal out of it. Why is this so hard for me?
Allow me to illustrate with a story.
Imagine, if you will, a six-year-old child, eating spinach and scrambled eggs on an undoubtedly dirty floor. The spinach comes in a frozen block.
It’s all she seems to eat, except for the raw tomato incident. Her mother makes her sit in front of a raw tomato slice and tries to force her to eat it. The girl has an aversion to raw tomatoes. After what feels like hours, she pretends to chew after throwing the tomato in the trash. Her mother questions the girl’s story, but nothing else comes of it.
The crusty pots and pans pile up in the sink. The toilet is full, due to frozen…
