The human mind is like a complex tapestry woven from experiences, memories, and emotions that accumulate throughout our lifetime, forming the intricate pattern of who we become. While we may think we have left our childhood behind, moving forward into adult responsibilities and relationships, the truth is that the experiences of our early years continue to shape us throughout our lives, often in ways that are not immediately visible or consciously understood. For many people, unresolved childhood wounds—neglect, emotional trauma, abuse, or even seemingly benign experiences like prolonged criticism or conditional love—can manifest in adulthood as depression, anxiety, and a host of other mental health issues that seem to arise without clear explanation.

These hidden wounds act like phantoms, haunting our present even when we believe we have moved past them, influencing our relationships, our self-perception, and our capacity for joy in ways we may not recognize. The past has a way of reaching into the present, coloring our experiences with shades of pain that originated long ago. In this comprehensive exploration, we will delve into the intricate relationship between childhood trauma and adult depression, examining how early adverse experiences imprint themselves on the brain and psyche, creating vulnerabilities that can resurface later in life. Drawing on psychological research, clinical insights, and practical strategies, this article will illuminate the pathways through which childhood wounds influence adult mental health, and how the journey of healing can begin.

Understanding Childhood Trauma: The Foundation of Adult Depression

To understand how childhood wounds resurface as adult depression, it is crucial to first define what constitutes childhood trauma and recognize its many forms. Childhood trauma encompasses any negative experiences that threaten a child’s sense of safety, security, and well-being during the formative years when the brain is still developing and the sense of self is being established. These experiences can range from severe cases like physical or sexual abuse, to more subtle but equally damaging situations such as emotional neglect, inconsistent parenting, or growing up in a chaotic environment where the child’s needs were consistently overlooked or invalidated.

The range of experiences that qualify as childhood trauma is broader than many people realize. Physical abuse involves the infliction of physical harm through hitting, punching, or other forms of violence. Emotional abuse includes verbal assaults, humiliation, and chronic invalidation of a child’s feelings and experiences. Sexual abuse encompasses any inappropriate sexual behavior or exposure that violates a child’s boundaries. Emotional neglect—often the most invisible form of trauma—involves a lack of emotional support, affection, and recognition of a child’s needs and feelings. Children may also be traumatized by parental substance abuse, which creates instability and unpredictability in the home; by witnessing domestic violence between caregivers; by living with a parent who suffers from untreated mental health issues; or by divorce, abandonment, or the prolonged absence of a primary caregiver.

Types of Childhood Trauma and Their Long-Term Effects

Minimal graphic showing a child silhouette connected to an adult silhouette, symbolizing long-term trauma impact.

The following table summarizes common types of childhood trauma and their potential long-term effects on mental health and functioning in adulthood.

Type of Trauma	Core Experience	Potential Adult Effects
Physical Abuse	Infliction of physical harm; violence as discipline or expression of anger	PTSD, difficulty trusting others, hypervigilance, chronic pain, depression
Emotional Abuse	Verbal attacks, humiliation, chronic criticism, invalidation of feelings	Low self-esteem, harsh inner critic, depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties
Emotional Neglect	Absence of emotional attunement; needs for comfort and validation unmet	Feeling empty or numb, difficulty identifying emotions, chronic loneliness, depression
Sexual Abuse	Inappropriate sexual contact or exposure; violation of bodily boundaries	PTSD, shame, intimacy issues, dissociation, depression, self-harm behaviors
Witnessing Violence	Exposure to domestic violence or community violence during childhood	Anxiety, hypervigilance, fear of conflict, relationship difficulties, depression
Parental Dysfunction	Substance abuse, mental illness, or incarceration affecting caregiving	Role reversal, chronic worry, codependency, depression, anxiety disorders

While not every child who experiences these traumas will develop depression later in life, research shows a strong correlation between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and increased susceptibility to mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. The landmark ACE study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente, found that the higher a person’s ACE score—the number of adverse experiences they encountered in childhood—the greater their risk of developing mental and physical health problems as an adult. This research has fundamentally changed our understanding of the long-reaching effects of childhood experiences on lifelong health and well-being.

Traumatic events overwhelm the ordinary systems of care that give people a sense of control, connection, and meaning.
— Judith Lewis Herman

How Childhood Trauma Impacts the Developing Brain

The human brain is incredibly malleable, especially during childhood, when neural pathways are still forming and the architecture of the mind is being established. Traumatic experiences alter the brain’s development in significant ways, particularly in areas responsible for emotion regulation, stress response, and cognition. The amygdala, the brain’s fear center, becomes hyperactive in response to trauma, remaining on high alert even when no immediate danger is present. An overactive amygdala can lead to heightened anxiety, hypervigilance, and emotional dysregulation that persists into adulthood.

The hippocampus, responsible for memory formation and the ability to distinguish between past and present, can actually shrink in response to chronic stress and trauma. This reduction in hippocampal volume results in memory problems and a reduced ability to differentiate between past threats and current safety, making it difficult to leave the past behind even when circumstances have changed. The prefrontal cortex, involved in executive functioning, decision-making, and impulse control, can also be affected by early trauma, leading to difficulties in concentration, self-regulation, and the ability to plan for the future. These neurological changes can persist into adulthood, making individuals more prone to experiencing depressive symptoms in response to stressors that they might otherwise have been able to manage effectively.

The Emotional Imprint: Core Beliefs and Negative Self-Schemas

Beyond neurological changes, childhood trauma shapes the way we see ourselves and the world in profound and lasting ways. When children experience chronic neglect, abuse, or instability, they often internalize these experiences, forming core beliefs that become the foundation of their self-concept. These core beliefs, or negative self-schemas, develop because children naturally try to make sense of their experiences, and they often conclude that they must be the cause of their mistreatment.

Common negative self-schemas that develop from childhood trauma include beliefs such as “I am unlovable,” “I am not good enough,” “The world is dangerous and unpredictable,” and “I cannot trust anyone.”

These self-schemas can become deeply ingrained, operating beneath conscious awareness but powerfully influencing how we interpret experiences and respond to the world. They lead to a negative outlook on life, low self-esteem, and feelings of hopelessness that are hallmarks of depression. As adults, even minor setbacks or criticisms can activate these negative beliefs, triggering intense depressive episodes that seem disproportionate to the event itself. The person may not consciously connect their current distress to childhood experiences, yet the old wounds are driving their emotional response.

The Neuroscience of Trauma: Understanding How the Brain Carries the Past

Understanding the neurological basis of trauma helps explain why childhood experiences can have such lasting effects on adult mental health and why simply “deciding to move on” is rarely effective. When a child experiences trauma, their developing nervous system adapts to survive in an environment that feels threatening. The stress response system, governed by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, becomes calibrated to a higher baseline of arousal, remaining in a state of chronic vigilance even when objective danger has passed. This adaptation, while potentially life-saving in childhood, creates a nervous system that is primed for threat detection long after the original threat has ended.

The effects of chronic childhood stress on the developing brain are well-documented in neuroscience research. Elevated cortisol levels, the primary stress hormone, can be neurotoxic over time, particularly affecting the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. The hippocampus, crucial for memory consolidation and the ability to place experiences in proper temporal context, may show reduced volume in adults with childhood trauma histories. This helps explain why trauma survivors often experience intrusive memories as if the trauma is happening in the present rather than being properly filed away as past events. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for reasoning, planning, and regulating emotional responses, may also be compromised, making it harder to regulate emotions and think clearly during times of stress.

Meanwhile, the amygdala, the brain’s alarm system, often becomes hyperreactive in trauma survivors, scanning constantly for threats and triggering fight-flight-freeze responses to stimuli that remind the nervous system of past danger, even when no current threat exists. This explains why someone with childhood trauma might have intense anxiety reactions to situations that seem harmless to others—their brain is responding based on past programming rather than current reality. The good news from neuroscience is that the brain retains plasticity throughout life, meaning these patterns can be changed through appropriate treatment, though the process requires time and consistent effort.

The Body Keeps the Score: Physical Manifestations of Childhood Trauma

Childhood trauma does not only affect the mind—it is stored in the body as well, a concept powerfully articulated by psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk in his influential work on trauma. The body carries the imprint of traumatic experiences in muscle tension, breathing patterns, posture, and chronic physical symptoms. Many adults with childhood trauma histories experience unexplained physical complaints such as chronic pain, digestive issues, headaches, or fatigue that have no clear medical cause. These somatic symptoms are the body’s way of expressing what words cannot capture—the unprocessed emotional residue of experiences that overwhelmed the child’s capacity to cope.

The connection between childhood trauma and physical health has been extensively documented. Adults with high ACE scores are at significantly increased risk for a wide range of physical health problems, including heart disease, autoimmune disorders, obesity, and even certain cancers. This connection is mediated through multiple pathways, including the chronic activation of the stress response system, the adoption of unhealthy coping behaviors like substance use or overeating, and the inflammatory processes triggered by ongoing psychological stress. Healing from childhood trauma therefore often needs to include attention to the body, through approaches such as somatic therapy, yoga, movement practices, or bodywork that help release stored tension and restore a sense of safety in the physical self.

To open yourself up and be able to tell somebody what is bothering you is a major act of courage.
— Bessel van der Kolk

How Childhood Wounds Resurface in Adulthood

While some people are consciously aware of their childhood trauma and can clearly trace the connection between past experiences and current struggles, others may have repressed or minimized their early experiences, believing they have “moved on” or that their childhood “wasn’t that bad.” However, unresolved childhood wounds tend to resurface in adulthood, often in unexpected ways and through mechanisms that are not immediately apparent. Depression is one of the most common manifestations of these hidden wounds, arising when the accumulated weight of unprocessed pain becomes too heavy to carry silently.

Repressed Memories and Emotional Triggers

Childhood trauma is often stored in the form of implicit memories—emotional memories that are not consciously accessible but still influence behavior and feelings in powerful ways. These memories are encoded in the body and nervous system rather than in narrative form, which is why trauma survivors may experience intense emotional reactions without understanding where they come from. As adults, certain situations, people, environments, or even sensory experiences like particular smells or sounds can trigger these implicit memories, causing a flood of emotions that seem to come out of nowhere.

For example, a person who experienced emotional neglect as a child may have difficulty handling rejection in adult relationships. Even a minor argument with a partner, a friend who cancels plans, or a perceived slight at work could trigger feelings of abandonment and worthlessness, leading to a depressive episode that seems out of proportion to the triggering event. These emotional flashbacks can make it challenging to differentiate between past and present, causing the individual to relive their childhood pain in the context of current experiences without recognizing that the intensity of their reaction is rooted in the past.

Attachment Styles and Relationship Patterns

One of the most profound ways childhood wounds resurface in adulthood is through relationship dynamics and the patterns we create in our closest connections. Our early experiences with caregivers shape our attachment styles, which are internal working models of how we expect relationships to function and what we believe we deserve from others. According to attachment theory, developed by John Bowlby and expanded by Mary Ainsworth, there are four primary attachment styles: secure attachment, developed when a child’s needs are consistently met, leading to a positive view of self and others; anxious attachment, stemming from inconsistent caregiving, resulting in clinginess, fear of abandonment, and high sensitivity to rejection; avoidant attachment, emerging from emotional neglect, leading to emotional distancing and difficulty expressing feelings; and disorganized attachment, often seen in children who experienced severe trauma or abuse, leading to a mix of fear and confusion in relationships.

Adults with anxious or avoidant attachment styles are more susceptible to depression because these styles create dysfunctional patterns in romantic and social relationships that ultimately lead to unmet needs and emotional pain. An anxious adult may become overly dependent on their partner for validation, constantly seeking reassurance and fearing abandonment, leading to depressive symptoms when their needs are not met or when the intensity of their need pushes partners away. Conversely, an avoidant adult may struggle with isolation and loneliness, keeping others at a distance to protect themselves from vulnerability but ultimately fueling depressive thoughts through chronic disconnection.

Two adults sitting apart on a couch, reflecting emotional distance and attachment difficulties.

Perfectionism, Impostor Syndrome, and the Inner Critic

Children who grew up in environments where love and approval were conditional—given only when they performed well, behaved correctly, or met certain standards—often develop perfectionistic tendencies as a way to cope with the uncertainty of their emotional environment. They believe that by achieving perfection, they can earn the love and validation they were denied in childhood. While this strategy may lead to external success and high achievement, it comes at a high emotional cost. Perfectionism is strongly linked to depression, as the relentless pursuit of unattainable standards results in chronic dissatisfaction, burnout, and a deep-seated fear of failure that makes every task feel like a test of worthiness.

Similarly, impostor syndrome—the persistent feeling of being a fraud despite evident success and accomplishments—is often rooted in childhood experiences of being criticized, dismissed, or not receiving appropriate praise for achievements. Adults who struggle with impostor syndrome may constantly fear being “found out” as incompetent, attributing their successes to luck rather than ability, leading to high anxiety and depressive symptoms. The inner critic that drives both perfectionism and impostor syndrome is often a powerful remnant of childhood wounds, echoing the critical or dismissive voices of caregivers, teachers, or peers that the child internalized long ago.

Self-Sabotage and Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms

When childhood trauma is not addressed, it often leads to unhealthy coping mechanisms in adulthood that provide temporary relief from emotional pain but ultimately create more problems. These behaviors—such as substance abuse, binge eating, self-harm, chronic procrastination, or compulsive behaviors—are attempts to numb the emotional pain that the person cannot fully process or escape. While these behaviors may offer temporary relief from overwhelming feelings, they ultimately exacerbate feelings of shame, self-loathing, and depression, creating a cycle that becomes increasingly difficult to break.

Signs that childhood trauma may be driving unhealthy coping in adulthood include:

Difficulty trusting others or forming close, healthy relationships despite genuinely wanting connection. This may manifest as pushing people away when they get too close, choosing unavailable partners, or sabotaging relationships that are going well.
Strong, disproportionate reactions to seemingly trivial criticisms or rejections that trigger intense emotional responses lasting far longer than the situation warrants.
Persistent feelings of shame or guilt that are not proportionate to current circumstances, along with a chronic sense of being fundamentally flawed or defective.
Chronic self-sabotaging behaviors such as procrastination, substance abuse, or consistently undermining your own success in relationships, career, or personal goals.
A pervasive sense of emptiness or numbness, feeling disconnected from your own emotions or unable to experience joy even in circumstances that should bring happiness.

Breaking the Cycle: How to Heal Childhood Wounds and Overcome Adult Depression

While the impact of childhood trauma can be profound and long-lasting, it is not insurmountable. The brain’s neuroplasticity means that healing is possible at any age, and the wounds of the past, while they may never disappear entirely, can be integrated in ways that reduce their power over your present life. Healing is a journey that involves self-awareness, therapeutic interventions, and building healthier coping mechanisms. It requires patience, compassion, and often professional support, but countless people have walked this path and found their way to lives of greater peace, connection, and fulfillment.

Therapy and Professional Support

Seeking professional help is often the first and most important step in healing childhood wounds. A trained therapist can provide the safe, supportive environment needed to explore painful past experiences and develop new ways of relating to yourself and others. Therapies that are particularly effective for trauma and depression include cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helps individuals identify and reframe negative thought patterns that contribute to depression; eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), a trauma-focused therapy that helps process and integrate traumatic memories; trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, specifically designed for those with a history of childhood trauma; and internal family systems, which helps individuals work with different “parts” of themselves, including the wounded inner child, to foster self-compassion and healing.

Reparenting the Inner Child

Reparenting is a therapeutic concept that involves providing the care, validation, and emotional support that you lacked in childhood. This process allows you to become the loving, nurturing parent to your own inner child, offering the compassion and safety that your younger self needed but did not receive. Reparenting can be practiced through visualizations where you imagine yourself as a child and speak to your younger self with love and encouragement; through affirmations that counteract the negative self-beliefs instilled in childhood; and through self-care rituals that soothe and nurture your inner child, such as creative expression, play, or spending time in nature. The goal is to internalize a new, compassionate voice that can gradually replace the critical voices from the past.

Adult sitting calmly by a window, symbolizing self-compassion and inner child healing.

Mindfulness and Emotional Regulation

Mindfulness practices such as meditation, deep breathing, and grounding exercises can help regulate the heightened emotional responses often triggered by trauma. These practices teach you to stay present, acknowledge your feelings without judgment, and reduce the intensity of emotional flashbacks that can feel overwhelming. Body scanning helps you focus on different parts of your body, releasing tension and bringing awareness to areas that hold stress. Emotion labeling—simply naming your feelings when strong emotions arise—creates a sense of distance that reduces their power. Breathing exercises can calm the nervous system during moments of distress, providing a practical tool for managing the physiological aspects of trauma responses.

Building a Support Network and Corrective Experiences

Isolation exacerbates the effects of childhood trauma, making it crucial to build a network of supportive people who can offer empathy, understanding, and encouragement. Childhood trauma often occurs within relationships, and healing frequently happens through new, healthier relationships that provide what therapists call “corrective emotional experiences.” These are experiences with safe, trustworthy people that gradually teach your nervous system that not all relationships are dangerous and that you can be seen, valued, and cared for. Whether through therapy groups, support networks, close friendships, or a healing therapeutic relationship, surrounding yourself with people who validate your experiences and treat you with consistent respect can be deeply transformative.

Building trust after childhood trauma is a gradual process that cannot be rushed. You may find yourself testing new relationships, looking for signs that the other person will hurt or abandon you as caregivers did in the past. This is a normal protective response, and a safe relationship will be able to withstand this testing while gently proving over time that this person is different from those who hurt you before. As you accumulate positive experiences in relationships—being heard, respected, forgiven for mistakes, and loved consistently—your internal working models of relationships gradually update, making it possible to experience the secure attachment that may have been missing in childhood.

Challenging the Inner Critic and Developing Self-Compassion

Addressing the inner critic involves recognizing its voice and actively challenging its negative messages, understanding that this voice is not the truth about who you are but rather an internalized echo of critical or neglectful caregivers from the past. The inner critic developed as a way to try to keep you safe—by criticizing yourself before others could, by trying to make you perfect so you would be worthy of love—but it has outlived its usefulness and now only causes harm. Replace self-critical thoughts with compassionate self-talk, and remind yourself that your worth is not defined by past experiences or current struggles.

Developing self-compassion is one of the most powerful antidotes to the shame and self-blame that often accompany childhood trauma. Self-compassion involves treating yourself with the same kindness you would offer a good friend, recognizing that suffering and imperfection are part of the shared human experience, and being mindful of your pain without over-identifying with it. Research by Kristin Neff and others has shown that self-compassion is strongly associated with psychological well-being and reduced depression, anxiety, and shame. Learning to speak to yourself with compassion—especially the wounded parts of yourself that carry childhood pain—can gradually heal the deep sense of unworthiness that trauma instills.

Moving Forward: Transforming Wounds into Wisdom

The journey from childhood trauma to adult depression is complex and often painful, but it is not the end of the story. With time, support, and the right tools, it is possible to transform childhood wounds into sources of strength, resilience, and wisdom. Many people who have done the work of healing their childhood trauma report that the process, while difficult, ultimately led to a deeper understanding of themselves and a greater capacity for compassion, both for themselves and for others. Healing does not mean erasing the past—it means integrating your experiences in a way that empowers you to live fully in the present. The goal is not to forget what happened or to pretend it did not affect you, but to reach a place where the past informs but no longer controls your present life.

Post-traumatic growth is a concept that describes the positive psychological changes that can emerge from the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances. While no one would choose to experience trauma, many survivors report that their healing journey led to profound personal transformation, including deeper relationships, new possibilities in life, greater personal strength, spiritual development, and enhanced appreciation for life. This does not minimize the pain of trauma or suggest that trauma is somehow beneficial—it simply acknowledges that human beings have a remarkable capacity to not only survive difficult experiences but to eventually find meaning and growth through them.

By acknowledging the impact of childhood trauma, seeking healing, and developing healthier coping mechanisms, you can break free from the cycle of depression and reclaim your life. While the phantom of the past may always linger in some form, it does not have to define your future. You are more than your pain—you are a survivor, and your journey toward healing is a testament to your strength and courage. Every step you take toward understanding and healing your past is a step toward a future where the wounds of childhood no longer dictate your present, where depression loosens its grip, and where genuine joy and connection become possible once again. The path may be long and there will be setbacks, but each day you continue moving forward is a victory over the past.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can childhood trauma cause depression even if I don’t remember the traumatic events?

Yes, childhood trauma can cause depression even without conscious memory of the traumatic events. This is because trauma is often stored as implicit memory—emotional and bodily memories that influence our feelings and behaviors without being accessible to conscious recall. The brain, particularly in very young children, may not encode traumatic experiences as narrative memories that can be verbally recounted, but the emotional impact is still registered and stored in the nervous system. You may experience the effects of trauma through unexplained anxiety, depression, relationship difficulties, or strong emotional reactions to certain triggers without knowing why. Working with a trauma-informed therapist can help you understand and process these implicit memories even without full conscious recall of the original events.

How do I know if my depression is related to childhood trauma or has another cause?

Depression can have multiple causes, including genetic factors, current life stressors, medical conditions, and past trauma, and often results from a complex combination of these factors interacting with each other. Some signs that your depression may be connected to childhood experiences include feeling that your emotional reactions are often disproportionate to current circumstances, struggling with persistent feelings of shame or unworthiness that seem to have always been present, having difficulty in relationships that follows patterns from your family of origin, or experiencing depression that is triggered by situations reminiscent of childhood experiences. You may notice that certain types of situations—such as feeling criticized, rejected, or overlooked—consistently trigger depressive episodes that seem more intense than the situation warrants. A thorough assessment with a mental health professional can help identify the contributing factors to your depression and determine the most appropriate treatment approach. Even if trauma is not the sole cause, addressing any childhood wounds can be an important part of comprehensive treatment and may help prevent future episodes.

Is it ever too late to heal from childhood trauma?

It is never too late to heal from childhood trauma, regardless of how much time has passed since the original experiences. The brain retains significant plasticity throughout life, meaning that new neural pathways can be formed and old patterns can be changed at any age. While healing may be a longer process for those who have carried their wounds for many decades, meaningful improvement is absolutely possible and has been documented in people of all ages. Many people begin their healing journey in middle age or later, when life circumstances finally allow them to address what they have been carrying, when a crisis brings buried issues to the surface, or when they finally feel safe enough to face the past. These individuals often experience significant relief and transformation through appropriate treatment.

The therapeutic relationship, new corrective experiences, and consistent practice of healthy coping skills can all contribute to rewiring the brain and creating new patterns, regardless of how long the trauma has been affecting you. Some research even suggests that older adults may have certain advantages in trauma therapy, including greater life experience, perspective, and emotional regulation skills. The key is finding a therapist who is experienced in trauma work and creating the conditions—safety, support, and time—that allow healing to occur.

What if my family does not acknowledge the trauma I experienced?

It is unfortunately common for families to deny, minimize, or have different perspectives on past events, and this lack of acknowledgment can be one of the most painful aspects of dealing with childhood trauma. Family members may have their own reasons for not wanting to face what happened—guilt, shame, their own trauma, or a desire to maintain a certain image of the family. This lack of validation can complicate healing and may leave you questioning your own memories and experiences. However, your healing does not depend on your family’s validation or apology—it is an internal process that you can undertake with the support of a therapist, support group, or trusted friends who believe and support you.

While family acknowledgment can be meaningful when it occurs, waiting for it or making your healing contingent upon it gives power over your recovery to people who may never provide what you need. Focus on your own journey, validate your own experiences, and build a support network of people who can witness your truth even if your family cannot. You may eventually need to make decisions about how much contact to maintain with family members who cannot acknowledge your experiences, and a therapist can help you navigate these difficult choices in a way that prioritizes your healing and well-being.

How can I support a loved one who is dealing with depression related to childhood trauma?

Supporting someone dealing with trauma-related depression requires patience, empathy, and education about the nature of trauma and its effects. First, educate yourself about trauma and how it manifests so you can understand what your loved one is experiencing. Listen without judgment when they share their experiences, and believe what they tell you about their past—validation from trusted others is an important part of healing. Avoid minimizing their pain with statements like “that was a long time ago” or “other people had it worse,” as these responses, while often well-intentioned, can feel dismissive and increase shame. Encourage them to seek professional help if they have not already, and offer to assist with practical matters like finding a therapist or accompanying them to appointments if they would find that supportive.

Be patient with the pace of recovery, understanding that healing from trauma is not linear and there will be good days and bad days, progress and setbacks. Avoid taking their difficult moments personally—trauma responses are not about you. At the same time, take care of your own mental health, as supporting someone through trauma recovery can be emotionally demanding. Setting healthy boundaries while remaining supportive is essential for both of you. Consider seeking your own therapy or support to help you process your feelings and maintain your own well-being while you support your loved one through their journey.