“Your past is not an excuse. But it is an explanation—offering insight into the questions so many of us ask ourselves: Why do I behave the way I behave? Why do I feel the way I do? For me, there is no doubt that our strengths, vulnerabilities, and unique responses are an expression of what happened to us.”― Bruce D. Perry, What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
Above is an example of insightful childhood trauma quotes. These quotes could be just what you need to going.
Quotes about childhood trauma in this blog post can help you if you are going through this hard but life-changing journey by giving them new ideas, inspiration, and hope.
25 childhood trauma quotes
Childhood trauma can feel like a heavy backpack you’ve been lugging around for years. But guess what? You’re not alone. Many have walked this path and discovered ways to heal and thrive.
The weight of childhood trauma
- “The wound is the place where the Light enters you.” – Rumi
- “Your trauma is not “in your head”; it is literally a changed state in your brain, and the only way you will help your body to return to its actual state is by recreating the feeling of safety that allows you to “turn off” survival mode and return to normal life.”– Brianna Wiest
- “What hurts you, blesses you. Darkness is your candle.” – Rumi
Healing childhood trauma quotes
Healing from childhood trauma is like peeling an onion—one layer at a time, with some tears along the way. But each layer brings you closer to your true self.
- “Healing is an art. It takes time, it takes practice. It takes love.” – Maza Dohta
- “The soul always knows what to do to heal itself. The challenge is to silence the mind.” – Caroline Myss
- “The only way out is through.” — Robert Frost
The power of resilience
When you’ve been through trauma, resilience isn’t just a word—it’s a lifestyle. These positive childhood trauma quotes capture that essence perfectly.
- “Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Khalil Gibran
- “The human capacity for burden is like bamboo—far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first glance.” – Jodi Picoult
- “She stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.” — Elizabeth Edwards
Finding hope after childhood trauma
Hope is like a lighthouse guiding you through the fog of traumatic experiences. Even when things look bleak, these quotes remind us that there’s always a glimmer of light.
- “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it.” – Helen Keller
- “Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul—and sings the tunes without the words—and never stops at all.” – Emily Dickinson
The role of forgiveness
Forgiveness doesn’t mean forgetting. It means letting go of the emotional baggage and emotional scars that past trauma has on you. It’s about freeing yourself to move forward. Here are inner child healing childhood trauma quotes.
- “Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a constant attitude.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
- “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis B. Smedes
The gift of vulnerability
Being vulnerable might feel like standing naked in a snowstorm, but it’s through vulnerability that we find true connection and healing.
- “Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” – Brené Brown
- “Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful part of us.” – David Richo
The journey of self-discovery
Self-discovery is like a treasure hunt, but instead of gold, you find pieces of yourself you didn’t even know were missing.
- “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” – Carl Jung
- “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” – Aristotle
The strength to move forward
Moving on doesn’t mean leaving your past behind; it means integrating your experiences and using them to fuel your growth.
- “The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” – John Green
- “It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that’s where transformation happens. That’s how change occurs.” – Jillian Michaels
The role of gratitude
Gratitude can be a powerful tool for healing. It shifts your focus from what’s wrong to what’s right, from what we’ve lost to what we’ve gained.
- “Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – Anonymous
- “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.” – Cicero
The role of therapy
Therapy can be a lifeline. It offers a safe space to explore your human feelings and develop coping strategies.
- “Therapy is not about having someone else take control of your life; it’s about learning to take control of your own life.” – Anonymous
- “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” – Carl Roger
The journey continues
Healing from childhood trauma isn’t a destination—it’s a lifelong journey. And while it’s not always easy, each step forward is a victory. Here are some ways overcoming childhood trauma quotes.
- “The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.” – Tony Robbins
- “Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” – Nido Qubein
- “Self-compassion is like a muscle. The more we practice flexing it, especially when life doesn’t go exactly according to plan – a frequent scenario for most of us – the stronger and more resilient our compassion muscle becomes.”— Sharon Salzberg
25 trauma quotes by trauma therapists
Many therapists have contributed significantly to our understanding of trauma. Here are a few whose words we’ll explore:
- Dr. Bessel van der Kolk quotes
- Dr. Peter Levine quotes
- Dr. Gabor Maté emotional trauma quotes
- Dr. Judith Herman quotes about c-PTSD
10 trauma quotes from Bessel A. van der Kolk
The words of Bessel A. van der Kolk offer valuable insights and guidance in his “Body Keeps the Score.”
His quotes remind us of the importance of addressing both the mind and body, understanding the internal impact of trauma, recognizing its ongoing effects, and the power of connection and community.
- “We are a hopeful species. Working with trauma is as much about remembering how we survived as it is about what is broken.”
- “Being traumatized is not just an issue of being stuck in the past; it is just as much a problem of not being fully alive in the present.”
- “It takes enormous trust and courage to allow yourself to remember.”
- “Being able to feel safe with other people is probably the single most important aspect of mental health; safe connections are fundamental to meaningful and satisfying lives.”
- “Trauma robs you of the feeling that you are in charge of yourself.”
- “Traumatized people are terrified to feel deeply. They are afraid to experience their emotions because emotions lead to loss of control.”
- “Trauma comes back as a reaction, not a memory”
- “There can be no growth without curiosity and no adaptability without being able to explore, through trial and error, who you are and what matters to you.”
- “The challenge is not so much learning to accept the terrible things that have happened but learning how to gain mastery over one’s internal sensations and emotions.”
- “After trauma the world is experienced with a different nervous system. The survivor’s energy now becomes focused on suppressing inner chaos, at the expense of spontaneous involvement in their lives. These attempts to maintain control over unbearable physiological reactions can result in a whole range of physical symptoms, including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, and other autoimmune diseases. This explains why it is critical for trauma treatment to engage the entire organism, body, mind, and brain.”
5 trauma quotes by Dr. Peter Levine
Dr. Peter Levine, a pioneering figure in the field of trauma therapy, offers invaluable insights through his words. His quotes remind us that while trauma is a challenging and often isolating experience, it is also an opportunity for growth and transformation.
- “Trauma is perhaps the most avoided, ignored, belittled, denied, misunderstood, and untreated cause of human suffering.”
- “The paradox of trauma is that it has both the power to destroy and the power to transform and resurrect.”
- “Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence”
- “When the moral judgment is removed, individuals are able to acknowledge and experience their authentic life energy freely.”
- “The effects of unresolved trauma can be devastating. It can affect our habits and outlook on life, leading to addictions and poor decision-making. It can take a toll on our family life and interpersonal relationships.”
5 childhood trauma quotes by Dr. Gabor Maté
Surviving childhood trauma is a lifelong journey that requires immense courage, resilience, and understanding. Dr. Gabor Maté, a renowned expert in trauma and addiction, provides profound insights that can help survivors on their path to healing.
- “Children don’t get traumatized because they are hurt. They get traumatized because they’re alone with the hurt.”
- “Trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you.”
- “Trauma is that scarring that makes you less flexible, more rigid, less feeling and more defended.”
- “The essence of trauma is disconnection from ourselves. Trauma is not terrible things that happen from the other side—those are traumatic. But the trauma is that very separation from the body and emotions.”
- “The greatest damage done by neglect, trauma or emotional loss is not the immediate pain they inflict but the long-term distortions they induce in the way a developing child will continue to interpret the world and her situation in it.”
5 complex trauma quotes by Dr. Judith Herman
Dr. Judith Herman isn’t just any expert; she’s a big deal in the realm of trauma recovery. Her work, especially her book Trauma and Recovery, has been a beacon of hope for many. Here are some quotes from the book:
- “Recovery can only take place within the context of relationships; it cannot occur in isolation.”
- “In the aftermath of traumatic events, survivors doubt both others and themselves. Things are no longer what they seem.”
- “When trust is lost, traumatized people feel that they belong more to the dead than to the living.”
- “After a traumatic experience, the human system of self-preservation seems to go onto permanent alert, as if the danger might return at any moment.”
- “Survivors of complex trauma have had to deal with a greater cumulative number and severity of adverse life events, experience higher baseline levels of psychological pain, and have experienced disruptions in the normative acquisition of skills for self-soothing, emotion regulation, communication, problem-solving, and mentalization.”
Final thoughts
Childhood trauma is a tough topic, but these childhood trauma in adult quotes remind us that healing is possible and that there’s always hope.
Whether you’re on your own healing journey or supporting someone else, these words offer comfort and inspiration.
If you’re looking to explore more, consider taking a childhood trauma test by Breeze or try this journaling prompts for healing trauma. Your healing matters. Keep going, keep growing, and keep believing in the light at the end of the tunnel.
