3 Steps to Heal the Effects of Childhood Trauma

It’s that T word nobody wants to talk about. It’s the elephant in the room. Most people would rather run from it for a lifetime than turn around and face it.

Yes, I’m talking about your childhood trauma.

If you’re anything like me, you want to just pretend it never happened, sweep it under the rug and move on with life. Which is exactly what I did for a huge portion of my life.

I thought I was unscathed, like I was “stronger than my trauma”. But the truth is, it was affecting me in ways I didn’t even realize.

And it’s not just me. Most of us don’t realize that trauma, especially early life trauma has a massive impact on us, affecting the way we perceive ourselves and the world around us. It distorts our reality and can cause us to react strongly (a.k.a “trigger us”) in our everyday lives.

However, there may come a point where you are ready to work on your abandonment issues, explosive temper, or deep-seated shame, and when that time comes, your childhood trauma will be waiting patiently to be healed.

Understanding Childhood Trauma

You might think that trauma is only defined as physical, emotional or sexual abuse, but you’d be wrong. Trauma can come in many forms. The details of what happened to you aren’t as important as what happened within you. Whether it was physical abuse, a traumatic accident, or even a parent shaming you for something you’ve done, the defining factor is how it effected you.

What matters is how that distressing experience changed the way you perceive yourself or the world around you. If after your parent shamed you for what you’ve done, you see yourself as a shameful, unworthy person, then that was traumatic.

What are the Effects of Childhood Trauma?

Many of the struggles we face as adults are actually symptoms of unhealed childhood trauma.

During our early years, we form our foundational beliefs about ourselves and the world. When we experience stress, fear, shame, or guilt, it shapes how we see ourselves—and how safe we feel in the world.

1. Trauma Changes the Way We Perceive Ourselves

For example, a child who grows up in an unstable or unsafe home may store the fear from those early experiences.

Later in life, that stored fear can manifest as chronic anxiety or a constant sense of danger, even in situations that aren’t actually threatening. The nervous system is responding to the past, not the present.

2. Trauma can Cause Hypervigilance

Let’s say a child had a parent who was unpredictable—sometimes loving, sometimes explosive.

She might have learned to walk on eggshells, never knowing what would trigger an outburst. That constant hypervigilance becomes a trauma pattern.

As an adult, she may find herself feeling anxious in relationships or workplaces, especially around authority figures. Why? Because those situations trigger the same fear stored in her nervous system from childhood.

3. The Shame we Carry from Trauma

Now consider a child who felt deep shame—whether from criticism, rejection, or emotional neglect.

That shame doesn’t just disappear. It often turns inward, becoming a belief like: “I’m not good enough” or “I’m unworthy.”

This can affect every part of life—self-esteem, relationships, success, and overall well-being.

Healing the Root Cause

As a Hypnotherapist, I don’t go searching for trauma. Instead, I help clients uncover the root of their current struggles—and sometimes, that leads us back to childhood experiences they didn’t even realize were still affecting them.

The good news is once the root is identified and released, profound healing begins.

3 Steps to Heal the Effects of Childhood Trauma

Healing trauma—childhood or otherwise—is not as difficult as you might think.

Yes, there may be many layers. And yes, it can take patience to work through it all. But healing is absolutely possible.

1. Get to the Root in a Gentle and Safe Space

At its core, healing is about acknowledging the pain you felt, and then gently reframing the experience.

In fact, healing often begins to unfold naturally—sometimes even unprompted—once you reach the root of the memory or belief in hypnosis. That's because while in hypnosis we can see or understand the memory differently than we did while we experienced it. Simply thinking about the trauma in a conscious state is not the same thing, and can actually retraumatize you.

2. Reframe with Your Current Perspective

One of the most effective tools I’ve found is this: Bring your adult perspective into the traumatic experience.

As a child, the moment may have felt terrifying, confusing, or deeply painful. But now, as an adult, you can see it through a new lens.

You can look at your younger self with compassion, understanding, and grace. You can create a sense of safety that allows the fear or shame to dissolve.

3. The Emotional Shift is the Healing

It’s an absolutely beautiful experience to guide my clients through this process.

Many times, it brings me to tears—not because of the pain, but because I’m witnessing something incredible: A weight that’s been carried for decades is finally being released.

And in that moment, something shifts. Freedom returns.

The Verdict

Healing the effects of childhood trauma is often not a one-and-done process. It takes time and patience. As you journey through your healing, you’ll find that the more you heal, the less burdened you feel. Facing your trauma may seem scary, but it’s truly the only way to be free of it. If you have unhealed trauma, I wish you courage and strength to face your fears and heal from the inside out.

If you'd like to try getting to the root of trauma quickly and effectively with Hypnotherapy, feel free to check out my Hypnotherapy Services page or book a Free Consultation to meet with me directly.

the effects of childhood trauma