005 | Talk About Your Trauma with a Professional
In my first experience of talking about my trauma, I got a response that was possibly considered retraumatizing. While my parents did the best they could, I was looking for a different response. I didn't know what response I was looking for, but I did know that the one I got was not it. So the second rule of trauma club being ‘talk about trauma club’ is to find the helpers. Look for the helpers. If you don't find the people who can respond, find the people who can. Those people are therapists, counselors, or trauma-informed coaches. They are those people who are experienced in dealing with trauma.
In today’s episode, I discuss the second rule of Trauma Hiders Club and the importance of seeking external help when healing from trauma. I discuss the kind of people you should speak with when talking with your friends and loved ones doesn’t seem to help. I discuss the challenges we often face when talking about our traumas with good intentioned, yet ill-equipped friends and loved ones and how it can often feel like a trigger or retraumatizing. I also explain why it takes time to find the right person to help you through your traumatic experience and the importance of continuing your search until you find ‘your person.’
“It takes time. It takes time to find the resource, the person, the counselor, the therapist - whomever you’re going to work with. It takes time to find ‘your person.’ Bottomline - your person is out there.”
- Karen Goldfinger Baker
This week on the Trauma Hiders Club Podcast:
Speaking with counselors, therapists, and trauma-informed coaches
The challenges of talking with someone about your trauma who isn’t equipped to listen to your story
Taking the time to find the right person to help you through your healing process