Member-only story
Facing Thanksgiving and Christmas After Childhood Trauma
Every year people in the United States gather with their families to eat turkey or ham and enjoy each other’s company. However, for those who experienced childhood trauma growing up in a dysfunctional home, Thanksgiving and Christmas are torture as they relive the holidays of the past.
This article will focus on why the holidays are so rough for trauma survivors and a few suggestions to help mitigate the pain.
Why the Misery?
For some, childhood was filled with violence and fear so gathering with the family meant danger and discomfort. Sometimes trauma, such as physical, emotional, and sexual abuse occurred more frequently during the holidays as children didn’t attend school, the only place they could escape to.
It is difficult for many to comprehend what horrific traumas occurred for these children now grown into adulthood.
The trauma extended from childhood into adulthood leaving survivors with a crippling emotional upset in their lives, especially during the holidays.
