Do you ever feel like something about you isn’t quite right? Do you sometimes or often wonder why you react to certain people, places, or situations in the way you do? You may be wondering if something happened to you that causes these patterns of reaction and asking yourself “why can’t I remember my childhood?”. If this feels familiar, please continue reading.
Experiencing traumatic events during your formative years is very difficult when your brain isn’t fully developed. Often our brains push the memory down into the subconscious level so that we can continue to function. This isn’t a conscious decision, it’s just the brain’s coping mechanism so the person can survive and move on with living life.
Understanding these signs of childhood trauma in adults can be a powerful step toward healing and self-awareness. Below, we explore some common indicators of repressed childhood trauma in adults.
1. Difficulty Trusting and Maintaining Relationships
Trauma can impact your ability to trust others, leading to patterns of insecurity or fear of abandonment in relationships. Adults with repressed trauma might struggle with intimacy, experience emotional detachment, or exhibit dependency behaviors.
Being abandoned, whether physically or emotionally, often leads to low self-worth, inability to trust relationships, or can even manifest as codependency. Being a survivor of childhood trauma myself, I experienced these symptoms in my intimate relationships until I explored the world of alternative healing and the energy of the trauma was released from my body and energetic field. It certainly wasn’t an overnight fix, but my relationships are completely different now.
2. Chronic Anxiety or Overwhelming Stress
Unresolved childhood trauma can leave the nervous system dysregulated or in a heightened state of alert, often referred to as the “flight or fight” state. This may manifest as persistent anxiety, hypervigilance about certain things, or difficulty relaxing, even in safe environments.
When our nervous system is dysregulated this can become an ingrained pattern, or neural pathway, in our brains. We may feel anxious for no reason and this can affect our behaviors and decisions. It can also often manifest as insomnia or sleep pattern interruptions.
3. Emotional Dysregulation and Signs of Childhood Trauma in Adults
Adults with unresolved trauma may find it difficult to manage their emotions or find it difficult to express their emotions. Outbursts of anger, overwhelming sadness, or an inability to identify and express feelings might point to unresolved trauma from childhood, or even into early adulthood.
This kind of emotional dysregulation can be very confusing to both the individual and those around them. The type of “fine one minute and not the next” scenario. Often people seek out the medical world or psychiatrists which often results in drug prescriptions. This type of “masking the symptoms” tends to bury the trauma deeper into the subconscious. However, there are appropriate circumstances in which medication may be necessary.
4. Low Self-Worth or Shame
Childhood trauma often fosters a deep sense of inadequacy or shame. This can happen when a child is physically abused, emotionally abused, or neglected. This seems to be a common factor in people who were raised with a parent with substance abuse. This type of symptom can also occur as a transference when a parent or caregiver has suffered such treatment in their own childhood. As teens or adults, individuals might struggle with feelings of unworthiness, self-doubt, or a harsh inner critic.
5. Unexplained Physical Symptoms
The mind and body are intricately connected. Repressed trauma can manifest physically, causing chronic pain, constant fatigue, or gastrointestinal issues. This is often referred to as somatic symptom disorder.
As a Myofascial Release Therapist, I have witnessed the disappearance of many of these symptoms with my clients. When I started to engage in this modality, I received a few years of consistent treatments and many of my own symptoms left my body. It took the willingness to feel deeply and allow my body to release in its own way. Quantum Energy Healing (QEH), which is done remotely, can also work on these symptoms by engaging the energy contained in physical symptoms and helping it to move out of the physical and energetic body.
6. Recurrent Nightmares or Flashbacks
Even if the conscious mind has repressed memories of trauma, the subconscious may revisit these experiences through nightmares or intrusive thoughts. Flashbacks can be triggered by seemingly unrelated events or stimuli.
Often when our memory is suppressed, the subconscious works in our dreams to help access and process trauma in a safe way. Although it may feel very disturbing to have nightmares, it’s our mind’s way of trying to clear out the energy of traumatic events. It also brings these issues to our conscious state in order to get our attention so that we may be led to helpful modalities that resonate with us.
7. Substance Abuse or Compulsive Behaviors
Many adults with repressed trauma turn to substances or compulsive habits—such as overeating, gambling, or excessive work—as a way to cope with unresolved pain or to numb difficult or unwanted emotions. Unfortunately social media has been added to the list of addictions and numbing out. This addiction is most concerning because not only is it providing an escape from an individual’s life situation, but it is also a form of “brainwashing” and influencing one’s outlooks and behaviors. Of course it can be a useful tool for exploring different subjects and being guided to helpful resources, but more often it is being seen as a detriment to one’s well-being.
This type of behavior can start to surface at a young age, especially if the parent is engaging in substance abuse or compulsive patterns. A person is often unaware of why they are drawn into these types of behaviors when they have suppressed childhood memories. One may also have a combination of both conscious and unconscious memories, as in my case when I was a young adult. It’s especially difficult when your environment provides you with ample opportunities to pick up some of these habits. In my own experience, when the energy of these traumas were released, the dysfunctional habits fell away on their own. By that I mean I didn’t have to make any effort to stop the behavior.
8. Dissociation or "Spacing Out"
Dissociation is a common coping mechanism for those who’ve experienced trauma. Adults may find themselves detaching from reality, zoning out during conversations, or feeling disconnected from their surroundings. Of course this may happen once in a while to anyone, but if it’s a frequent occurrence it is likely an effect of a repressed trauma.
Detaching from reality can manifest as having a very skewed perception of what someone is experiencing in their life to the point of not being able to function well enough to take care of themselves. This can happen on a financial or physical level, as well as being able to maintain relationships.
9. Overachievement or Perfectionism
Some individuals respond to childhood trauma by striving for perfection or success as a way to gain some sense of control over their lives. While this might appear as ambition, it often masks deeper feelings of inadequacy. We have witnessed this in people who have reached the top of their field and subsequently fall into deep depression, and even suicide.
This can also appear as feeling the need to have one’s surroundings in perfect order. Any type of disruption to this order can result in anger, anxiety, or overactive behaviors. Another way this perfection may show up is in one’s physical appearance. We see this exaggerated in today’s world with the use of unnecessary surgeries, facial alterations, and an overwhelm of commercial products. Television and social media propagate this type of perfectionism.
The Path to Healing
Recognizing these signs is the first step toward healing. The impact of repressed trauma doesn't have to influence or control your present daily life. Working with an experienced therapist or energy healer can help you to see and experience the link between childhood trauma and adult behaviors. Often witnessing your own reactions and behaviors from an aware state will start to unravel the energy of trauma held in your body.
There are several modalities available to start this process of healing. A few of these that I have first-hand experience with are somatic experiencing (SE), quantum energy healing (QEH), John F Barnes Myofascial Release Therapy (MFR), acupuncture, yoga therapy, breathwork, craniosacral therapy (CST), nature therapy, journaling, and music therapy. I have found that one might need different therapies at different stages in their healing process, and often a combination of them work well together. Finding what works for you is a very personal endeavor. Trust your intuition and feel what resonates with your body, mind, and spirit.
If any of these symptoms we covered resonate with you, know that you’re not alone—and seeking support is a courageous act of self-care. Healing is not about forgetting the past; it’s about understanding and working with it to evolve into a future where you feel whole, safe, and empowered.
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