Inside Traumas: What They Are and How to Heal Them

In this video, Anna Runkle talks about inside traumas, which are things we do that tend to re-traumatize us. She provides a list of common inside traumas and explains how they can make healing more difficult.

Common Inside Traumas

• Black-and-white thinking: being drawn to extreme views or groups or authority figures.

• Neglect of your body: wearing shabby clothes, poor hygiene, avoiding medical and dental care.

• Addictive use of food: being extremely overweight, having eating disorders, binging on carbs and sugar.

• Addictive use of media and entertainment: watching TV or browsing the Internet enough to interfere with daily routine.

• Blame: having a hard time seeing our own role in problems, victim-thinking, bitterness.

• Numbing with substances like alcohol or drugs.

• Irritability: getting angry sometimes for no reason, mistreating other people and even violence.

• Attraction to troubled partners and friends.

• Abuse of our sexuality: overly sexualized appearance or inappropriately seductive behavior due to distorted sense of messages we're sending or what is healthy for us.

• Fantasy: generally either romantic like imagining being with somebody we're not actually with or imagining a successful future that we're not realistically on the path towards.

• Total avoidance of people.

Healing Inside Traumas

• Seek professional help if necessary

• A therapist can help you identify your inside traumas and work through them

• Joining support groups can also be helpful

• Practice self-care

• Take care of your body by eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep

• Avoid numbing behaviors like substance abuse or excessive media use

• Challenge negative thoughts and beliefs

• Work on changing black-and-white thinking to a more nuanced perspective

• Practice self-compassion and avoid blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong

• Build healthy relationships

• Surround yourself with people who support you and encourage your healing journey

• Avoid toxic relationships that re-traumatize you

• Set realistic goals

• Focus on achievable goals rather than fantasies or unrealistic expectations

Inside Traumas

In this section, the speaker discusses the inside traumas that people with childhood PTSD may experience.

Debting

• Debting is a common problem for people with childhood PTSD.

• It involves not caring for our earning and spending, which can lead to living beyond our means.

• In its worst forms, debting can turn into a gambling addiction or unsustainable get-rich-quick mentality, leading to foreclosure, bankruptcy, and homelessness.

Repeating Traumatic Patterns

• People with childhood PTSD may have a habit of repeating traumatic patterns.

• This can result in an inability to detect trouble or step back when danger appears.

• Relapsing into a traumatized state can trigger depression, rage, collapse, and a reversion to old behaviors.

Healing from Inside Traumas

• Recognizing harmful behaviors resulting from childhood PTSD is half the battle towards healing.

• Free tools and online courses are available to help recognize and heal these signs.