Complexly traumatized children need to be helped to engage their attention in pursuits that do not remind them of trauma-related triggers and that give them a sense of pleasure and mastery. Safety, predictability, and fun are essential for the establishment of the capacity to observe what is going on, put it into a larger context, and initiate physiological and motoric self-regulation.

~ Sarah Benamer

Sarah Benamer Abused Child Abused Children Attachment Theory Attachment Trauma Childhood Trauma Childhood Traumas Complex Ptsd Healing From Abuse Self Regulation Sense Of Safety Trauma Traumatic Stress Traumatization Traumatized

Unspeakable feelings need to find expression in words. However... verbalization of very intense feelings may be a difficult task.

~ James A. Chu

James A. Chu Cutting Emotional Pain Emotional Regulation Healing From Abuse Healing Trauma Overwhelmed Self Destructive Behavior Self Destructiveness Self Harm Self Injury Trauma Trauma Survivors Traumatized Unbearable Unspeakable Verbalization

Why Is It So Important to Remember?When you were abused, those around you acted as if it weren’t happening. Since no one else acknowledged the abuse, you sometimes felt that it wasn’t real. Because of this you felt confused. You couldn’t trust your own experience and perceptions. Moreover, others’ denial led you to suppress your memories, thus further obscuring the issue.You can end your own denial by remembering. Allowing yourself to remember is a way of confirming in your own mind that you didn’t just imagine it. Because the person who abused you did not acknowledge your pain, you may have also thought that perhaps it wasn’t as bad as you felt it was. In order to acknowledge to yourself that it really was that bad, you need to remember as much detail as possible. Because by denying what happened to you, you are doing to yourself exactly what others have done to you in the past: You are negating and denying yourself.

~ Beverly Engel

Beverly Engel Child Sexual Abuse Survivors Cold Sexual Abuse Healing Abuse Healing From Abuse Minimizing Not That Bad Rape Sexual Abuse Sexual Assault Sexual Violence Trauma Memory Truth About Abuse