Overcoming the impact of childhood abuse
Living through and understanding the effects of abuse is not easy, no matter how much time has passed.
If you have suffered child abuse, you know that the emotional pain can be relentless, often because you have developed ways of coping on the outside but your internal pain may not be obvious to those who are closest to you.
It can be a big step to decide to overcome the fears, depression and restricted life that sometimes accompany an abusive past, and the treatment journey is gradual.
How I approach this work
The clinical knowledge about treating trauma that has resulted from abuse in childhood is growing all the time. Patients describe different kinds of abuse: physical, emotional, sexual, financial, cultural, religious and educational, to name a few.
It is important to help patients understand how their early life has influenced the way in which they live and cope in the world now. So often, patients know that how they are feeling or coping is not going well for them, but they are at a loss as to how to shift from well-known patterns.
Longer term therapy is often required when an adult has an untreated history of trauma and abuse. You are welcome to call about treatment.