“You need to let go of the past.”
“Stop living in the past.”
“The past is behind you, move on.”
These are phrases we hear often, and while they carry some truth, they miss an important point: what happens when someone’s past is full of unresolved trauma?
Childhood should be a time of growth, and learning, and safety, surrounded by love and support from family and community. But for many, childhood is marked by pain and trauma that never truly fades. So, if someone carries unresolved trauma from their early years, is the past really “behind” them? In many cases, the answer is no. Unresolved childhood trauma doesn’t stay locked away in the past; instead, it shows up in unexpected ways throughout adulthood.
Let’s take a closer look at how unresolved trauma can impact mood, behavior, and overall well-being.
Emotional Regulation Struggles
One of the most common effects of childhood trauma is difficulty with emotional regulation. The emotional regulation system in the brain is crucial for managing and responding to our feelings in healthy ways. When trauma interrupts this development, it can become much harder to handle emotions effectively as an adult.
For someone dealing with unresolved trauma, this might mean reacting to minor triggers with intense emotions, finding it hard to express their feelings, or struggling to stabilize their mood. The result is emotional instability and mood fluctuations that can seem disproportionate to the situation.
Relationship Challenges
Childhood trauma also reflects in how individuals relate to others as adults. Trauma can disrupt the development of healthy attachment patterns, which affects trust, intimacy, and the ability to form secure relationships.
As a result, adults who experienced childhood trauma may find it difficult to form or maintain meaningful connections. They might struggle with setting boundaries, fear rejection, or even unknowingly repeat toxic patterns by staying in unhealthy or abusive relationships- issues that can be deeply isolating and create a cycle of emotional pain.
Increased Risk of Anxiety and Depression
Research consistently shows that unresolved childhood trauma raises the risk of developing anxiety, depression, and other mental health struggles later in life. Trauma can change the way the brain responds to stress, and make it more difficult for individuals to manage negative emotions.
This alteration in the brain’s stress response system can also affect the neurotransmitters that regulate mood, which makes individuals more vulnerable to mood disorders like anxiety and depression. Such conditions become a vicious cycle, and make it harder to heal from past trauma.
A Path Toward Healing
In Mind of a Misfit, Niki L’Arri takes readers through her personal experience with trauma, PTSD, and abuse. Drawing on her background in psychology, she offers valuable insight into the lasting effects of unresolved trauma and the complex emotional struggles that often accompany it.
Through her own healing journey, Niki provides practical strategies for coping with mood fluctuations, behavioral issues, and the lingering effects of trauma. Her book helps readers understand their own experiences with adversity, while guiding them to break free from the past and achieve emotional well-being.
Mind of a Misfit will soon be available on Amazon and in bookstores nationwide. If you’ve struggled with unresolved trauma or are looking for a deeper understanding of how to heal, Niki’s story and insights could be the key to unlocking your own path to recovery.
