Childhood Trauma Recovery

By Tamara Fraser

How do we start to heal from trauma? First, we need to really commit to actually wanting to heal and commit to putting in the hard work. Trust me, it is hard work and it is messy at times. It’s important to think of the healing process as a muscle. The more we use it (flex it), the stronger it becomes. The more we commit to the hard work of healing, the better we become. 

Learning and healing from trauma takes time and effort towards becoming more self-aware. A great way to reflect and process your past trauma is through journaling. Below are some prompts to help you get started on your path to healing and self-discovery. 

Start with

1. My greatest fear as a child was…

2. My childhood home felt…

3. When I was sad, my mother would…

4. When my mother was angry, she would…

5. My father made me feel…

6. The thing I wish my family understood is…

7. The first time I remember feeling shame was when…

8. The person I needed to love me the most was…

9. I felt unloved by…

10. I felt love by…

11. I hated it when…

12. I was most angry at…

13. It’s not my fault that…


Journal prompts to learn from past trauma

1. Did I realize during the traumatic experience that I was experiencing trauma?

2. If not, when did I realize it was inflicting trauma on me?

3. Do I think of myself as a victim? If yes, why?

4. Do I hold any anger or resentment towards the person or experience that caused this trauma?

5. Why do I still hold anger and resentment?

6. Is this anger and resentment doing me any good?

7. Do I want to carry this anger and resentment for the rest of my life?

8. What is holding me back right now?

9. How can I choose to move forward?

10. What are the dark feelings within that I am holding on to?

11. What can I possibly change to move forward from those feelings?

12. How can I choose to put these changes in action?

13. How have I chosen to move forward away from this past trauma?

14. Have I actually dealt with the emotions that came forward?

15. What triggers these emotions to continuily come forward?

16. Am I ready to move forward and away from the person, place or thing that caused this trauma in my life?

17. If yes, what are the actions steps I need to take to move forward?

18. If no, why am I choosing to hold on to these negative emotions and feelings from this past trauma?

19. Do I feel like this past trauma is holding me back from living my life?

20. How have I been able to release and let go?

21. What have I learnt about myself through reflecting on this past trauma?

22. Can I recognize that this past trauma have actually brought some greatness into my life because of the lessons I have learned? 

23. Am I  a better person now before this past trauma?

24. Am I in a place where I can honor myself and all that I have gone through this entire experience?

25. How can I honor myself?

26. Am I ready to realize that those people who have inflicted trauma on me actually helped me to step up to be a better version of myself?

27. How have I become better?

28. Is there still healing that needs to take place?


Journal prompts for processing trauma triggers

1. What happened? Review the facts.

2. What specific emotions are you feeling? 

3. What negative things is making me think about myself?

4. How am I identifying this with trauma?

5. What specific things am I doing to cope?