Not all scars are immediately obvious. They show up in your self-image, how you respond to stress, and how you relate to others – or struggle to. For many adults, adverse childhood experiences leave an imprint that quietly shapes their mental health and behavior long into adulthood. But with trauma-informed therapy, it’s possible to reprocess those experiences and begin to heal.
At Palm Springs Behavioral Health, we help clients address the emotional pain they’ve carried since childhood and guide them toward lasting transformation. If you feel stuck in patterns you can’t explain, childhood trauma may be part of your story – and therapy can help you rewrite it.
What Are Adverse Childhood Experiences?
Adverse childhood experiences refer to traumatic or highly stressful events that occur before you turn 18. These may include:
- Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
- Emotional or physical neglect
- Witnessing domestic violence
- Living with a parent who has a substance use disorder or mental illness
- Loss of a parent to death, incarceration, or abandonment
- Exposure to poverty, community violence, or household dysfunction
Research shows people with more ACEs are at a higher risk of experiencing mental and behavioral health issues in adulthood.
- Depression and anxiety
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Substance abuse
- Risky behaviors and chronic health conditions
- Difficulty forming and maintaining relationships
Trauma doesn’t always look like an obvious wound – it often manifests in patterns of avoidance, self-criticism, emotional numbness, or intense fear of vulnerability.
How Childhood Trauma Affects Adult Mental Health
Unresolved childhood trauma can affect how you relate to the world, even if you don’t consciously remember the events. Your brain and nervous system adapt to survive unsafe environments by staying on high alert or shutting down emotionally. These adaptations may have helped you survive as a child – but as an adult, they often become barriers to joy, trust, and connection.
You may notice:
- An overactive inner critic or low self-worth
- Trouble regulating your emotions
- Panic attacks or persistent anxiety
- Patterns of toxic or codependent relationships
- Emotional flashbacks or feelings of helplessness
- Chronic dissociation or numbing behaviors
Therapy helps bring these patterns into awareness and creates space to rewire how you think, feel, and respond to the world around you.
The Role of Therapy in Healing Childhood Wounds
At Palm Springs Behavioral Health, we take a trauma-informed approach to therapy that honors your lived experience. Our structured treatment programs will help you:
- Understand the impact of trauma on your brain, body, and emotions
- Identify and move on from maladaptive coping strategies that do not serve you
- Explore your suppressed memories or feelings in a safe, guided environment
- Build healthier emotional responses and patterns of self-worth
- Reclaim your power and agency
Therapists use evidence-based modalities like:
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
- Somatic therapies
- Mindfulness and nervous system regulation
Your goal isn’t to forget the past – it’s to accept it so it no longer controls your present.
Reparenting Yourself Through the Healing Process
Learning to reparent yourself is an essential component of recovering from childhood trauma. In other words, you give yourself the affirming love, care, validation, and boundaries you may not have received when you were younger.
Therapy helps you:
- Develop self-compassion
- Set healthy boundaries with others
- Soothe your nervous system when triggered
- Replace toxic beliefs with empowering truths
Begin Recovering Today
Professional treatment offers a path forward if childhood experiences continue casting a shadow over your adult life. Palm Springs Behavioral Health’s compassionate team is here to break the patterns that no longer serve you and discover the peace, connection, and purpose you deserve.
Reach out today to learn more about our trauma-informed services and how we can help you heal.