There are few experiences more challenging psychologically than suffering from a loss. When someone you care about – or someone that played a significant role in your life – is no longer a part of it, that can cause immense distress and a wide range of confusing emotions that can have a lasting impact on your mental health.
Loss itself can already be challenging psychologically. But it can potentially be even more challenging if the person that is no longer with us happens to be someone that is linked to childhood trauma. For example:
- Someone that caused traumatic experiences.
- Someone for whom you had an uneasy or rocky relationship.
- Someone that did not provide you with the support you hoped for.
It can be an issue from which a person developed trauma-related mental health problems, or simply be that the person that had a significant role in their life – like a parental figure – simply caused or was linked to unresolved issues that were not addressed when they were alive.
When that person is lost, the result psychologically can be fairly devastating. We hold onto those issues, thinking that someday we may be able to address them (or not realizing that they are so important to us), and then suddenly, when we experience loss, we can no longer
What’s Next?
These feelings of things being “unsaid” can be tremendously upsetting. It’s up to us to learn how to cope with them and address them, knowing that we cannot talk to the person anymore. These “unsaid” feelings do not just affect adults, either. If there are children who lose a parent, they may also find themselves struggling with their emotions, unable to put their hurt into words.
Talking to someone that specializes in the processing of grief, loss, and childhood trauma can help, no matter your age and no matter the trauma. These are situations in which you typically need to get your emotions out, and working with a therapist can help you gain that sense of clarity, calmness, and energy that you need to move forward.
It’s Never Too Early or Too Late
It’s hard to lose anyone. It is also hard to lose someone that caused trauma in your life, regardless of your love for them and how much they cared for you. If you have recently suffered a loss and are looking for a therapist to help you through it, please contact Long Island Psychology, today.
