Early Age Neglect or Abuse

Trauma Counselling for Early Age Neglect or Abuse

Childhood isn’t like what you see on TV, where everyone is happy all the time.

It’s more complicated than that. There are ups and downs and if you experienced abuse or neglect, you can feel torn because it likely happened at the hands of the people you loved the most.

And you might not even be aware of it. They might not be aware of it either because trauma can be unintentional. This can happen if you grew up in a family where your parents weren’t available emotionally or physically, where there was neglect, marital conflict, mental illness or addictions.

You’re torn for a couple of reasons.

It was a long time ago and you’re trying to leave the past in the past. You believe your parents did the best they could but you ask yourself, “If I really believe that, why am I still so angry?” You wonder why things seem so different for you than for your brother or sister.

All this—and a whole lot more—is normal.

Does any of this sound familiar?

• You believe your parents were rigid, perfectionist or had unrealistic expectations of you.
• You question if you can love someone.
• You often think you’re not lovable.
• You wonder why your relationships don’t last.
• You have difficulty forming new relationships.
• You’re thinking about forgiving your parents.
• You’re telling yourself you’d like to have a relationship with your parents.
• You ask yourself if your life would be different if you had a different childhood.
• You often get angry about things that other people think are insignificant.
• It still seems difficult to have a healthy bond with your parents.
• You wish you could be more compassionate.
• You have low self-esteem and feel insecure.
• You feel empty.