When we talk about a history childhood trauma, we talk a lot about the problems — the damage, the limitation on our lives, the sadness. But in reality, a lot of us are thriving despite abuse and neglect in the past. The word for this is resilient.

Overcoming the effects of Childhood PTSD is not easy, and it’s not a road I’d choose for anyone.  But if that’s the hand life dealt you, it is still possible for you to blossom into a life of depth and love and purpose. 

Resilience is often mentioned as the thing that explains why some people go through rough childhoods but seem to rise above all the harsh outcomes that are common and normal. It’s tempting for some people to think that resilient people are just extra clever or that they have a special kind of DNA. We’re all different, but resilience is something we can all practice. It’s a frame of mind we can develop. It’s like a muscle that makes us strong enough to face the obstacles that abuse and trauma placed in our lives — and then walk around them,

Some people worry that trying to be strong means denying what happened. But I don’t see strength that way. Developing a strength never requires denial or pretending everything’s fine. In fact, strength just allows us to acknowledge those traumas and keep growing anyway, so that we can honestly be ourselves, with all the wounds and all the brilliance, and become the people we were meant to be.

This is the way — not with fake smiles and platitudes but with honesty — that life starts getting really good.

So this is the first article (with video) in a series I’m making about resilience; it’s an overview of eight strengths that I’ll be covering — strengths anyone can work on to get better at overcoming the obstacles that are so common for people with Childhood trauma. 

First I’ll talk about the obstacle fear.  All people have fear, and yes, sometimes it’s appropriate, but I’m talking about another kind of fear, the free floating, hamster wheel kind of fear that run through our heads and keep us small and stuck. If you have Childhood PTSD you know exactly what I’m talking about. The word for that is still fear.

Lots of people talk about fear, but I’ll show you what to actually do with fear so you have less of that. I’ll teach you the strength that allows you to get free. READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE HERE. 

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Ready to start healing the symptoms of past trauma? Register now for my most popular online course, Healing Childhood PTSD.

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