Understanding Trauma and How Trauma-Informed Therapy Can Help You Heal

Have you ever wondered why certain experiences from the past still affect you today—whether it’s the way you react to conflict, your sense of self-worth, or how safe (or unsafe) you feel in relationships?

Many of us carry emotional wounds that we’ve never had the space or support to fully process. These wounds, often invisible and long-ignored, are what we call trauma.

In India, trauma is not often talked about openly. Many of us have grown up being told to "move on", "be strong", or that "it wasn’t that bad." But trauma doesn't disappear just because we pretend it’s not there. It stays in the body, in the nervous system, in our thoughts and behaviours—until we find a safe, supportive space to work through it.

What Is Trauma?

Trauma is not just what happens to you, but also how it affects you.

It can come from one major event (like an accident or loss), or it can build up over time through chronic stress, emotional neglect, abuse, or feeling unsafe in your own home.

Some examples of trauma many people in India experience include:

• Growing up in a dysfunctional or emotionally distant family

• Experiencing emotional, physical, or sexual abuse

• Living in households with alcoholism or domestic violence

• Facing bullying, body shaming, or academic pressure

• Dealing with gender-based discrimination or being part of a marginalized community

• Losing someone you love without the space to grieve properly

Even if these events happened years ago, they can still impact your present—how you feel about yourself, how you trust others, and how safe or unsafe the world feels.

How Do You Know If You're Carrying Trauma?

You might be carrying trauma if you:

• Struggle with self-doubt or shame that doesn’t go away

• Feel emotionally numb, overwhelmed, or easily triggered

• Have difficulty setting boundaries or saying “no”

• Feel anxious, depressed, or stuck in the past

• Avoid conflict or people-please out of fear

• Constantly feel unsafe, even in safe situations

• React strongly to small things and later wonder why

If this sounds familiar, please know—you are not “too sensitive” or “overreacting.” These are very real signs of unresolved trauma.

What Is Trauma-Informed Therapy?

Trauma-informed therapy is a gentle, respectful, and compassionate approach to therapy that understands how trauma affects the brain, body, and behaviour.

It creates a safe space where you’re not judged, rushed, or pushed to share more than you’re ready to. It allows your healing to unfold at your pace.

A trauma-informed therapist will:

• Prioritize your safety and emotional readiness

• Help you make sense of your experiences without blaming yourself

• Support you in understanding how trauma affects your relationships, body, and sense of self

• Work with tools and techniques to slowly build resilience, self-trust, and emotional balance

• Help you reconnect with your sense of power, choice, and agency

Why This Matters in the Indian Context

In Indian families and communities, emotional experiences are often brushed under the rug. There’s a cultural tendency to normalize dysfunction—“parents always hit their kids,” “it’s just how our elders were,” “don’t talk about family matters outside.”

But silence doesn't heal trauma. Talking to a friend or journaling can help, but trauma healing often needs structured support, especially if your childhood home was not a safe emotional environment.

You deserve to feel at home in your body, safe in your relationships, and worthy of love, respect, and ease.

Therapy Can Be the First Step Toward Healing

If you’re carrying the weight of a difficult past, or if your present feels too heavy to handle alone, therapy can help. Trauma-informed therapy is not about “fixing” you—it’s about understanding you, empowering you, and walking with you as you reclaim your peace and strength.

You are not broken.

You are not too much.

And you don’t have to do it alone.

Want to explore therapy?

We offer online therapy sessions in a trauma-informed, queer-affirmative, and intersectional space. Whether you're navigating trauma, dysfunctional family patterns, anxiety, or simply want to feel more whole—I'm here to support you. Book a session here: https://forms.gle/RN35nWxULpnZ4fhHA

📩 You can reach out at entwinedwellbeing@gmail.com

🧠 Learn more about my work at www.entwined.in

Let’s walk this path of healing together.