Childhood Trauma: Overcoming the Hurt of Invalidation

“When we deny our stories, they define us. When we own our stories, we get to write a brave new ending.” — Brene Brown I talk about my childhood trauma because I lived in denial for most of my life. I write about it because I didn’t understand what happened, why it happened, what it meant. I couldn’t explain all these feelings of shame, depression, and disgust. As I grow to understand it better, I hope my writing can help other victims who feel lost and scour the internet for answers — for a childhood they can relate to. “We can’t smooth over hurt feelings in our families,” Brene Brown writes. “It’s too easy for stockpiled hurt to turn into rage, resentment, and isolation. We must talk about it. Even when we don’t want to. Even when we’re tired.” But talking about it means being prepared to meet with invalidation. Not everyone will support our journey to heal. They could outright deny that we were abused or traumatized. Some people just don’t want to believe that they live in a world where things like sexual abuse can happen. “That’s something that only happens on a TV movie.” Invalidation can take many forms. People may tell say: Stop living in the past. Let bygones be bygones. Everyone had a bad childhood. Things could be worse. The message here is that something is wrong with us for not being able to move past the traumatization. They might even imply that we should let it go and reconcile with the abuser. This minimizes th...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: General Happiness Inspiration & Hope Mindfulness Personal PTSD Spirituality Stress Trauma brene brown Child molestation Child Sexual Abuse Childhood Trauma complex PTSD Denial Elisabeth Corey gaslighting grooming Invali Source Type: blogs