Explains what trauma is and how it affects your mental health, including how you can help yourself, what treatments are available and how to overcome barriers to getting the right support. Also includes tips for people who want to support someone who has gone through trauma.
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Seeking help with the effects of trauma can be difficult, and you might sometimes face barriers to getting the support you need and deserve. For example:
"From a very early age I recognised that things didn't always 'add up' but it took many years and until very recently... I am 58... for me to put many of the pieces of my history together... particularly in relation to the impact on me."
If you're facing barriers like these, here are some things that could help:
"I was very damaged by a counsellor who was very well meaning but treated me like a guinea pig with her questioning and at times brutal approach."
"I spoke to some other survivors and realised they felt the exact same way. Talking to them was brilliant. It made me realise that while my behaviour had changed, I was just coping the way I could, that we all were."
If you've tried something and it hasn't helped, try to be gentle and patient with yourself. Coping with the effects of trauma can be really difficult and can take a lot of time and energy, but many people find that when they have the right combination of treatments, self-care and support, it is possible to feel better.
"I would really like to see a change, where it is up to the police to press charges. They had my perpetrator's recorded confession... I was too scared to make the decision all by myself."
This information was published in January 2020. We will revise it in 2022.
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