An effect of trauma

Complex or ongoing trauma and its effects

When trauma happened repeatedly, over a long time, or at the hands of people who were supposed to care for you, the effects go deeper than a single event. This can affect how you see yourself, how you relate to others, and how you regulate your emotions in ways that feel woven into who you are rather than a response to a specific thing.

It can sound like

“I have always been like this.” “It is not one thing it is everything.” “I do not know who I would be without all of it.” “I have been this way as long as I can remember.”

If any of those sentences live in your head too, you are in good company here.

Experiences this often follows

Effects do not come from nowhere. These are some of the experiences that people who carry this one often describe. You do not need to have been through any of them for what you feel to be real.

Nothing on this page is a diagnosis, and nothing here decides what is wrong with you, because nothing is wrong with you. Something happened to you. This page exists so that when you are ready, you can find people who understand it from the inside.

You do not have to carry this alone.

Bridge of Hope Recovery is a free, anonymous, peer-led fellowship for trauma survivors. Meetings run throughout the week by phone, by video, and in person. No cost, no waitlist, no one asking for your real name.

Find a meeting Join the fellowship

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