Turning Self-Doubt into Strength: Strategies for Trauma Survivors

Trauma survivors often struggle with self-doubt. It can appear as feelings of not being good enough and dread. However, understanding that self-doubt is a common response to trauma is the first step towards transforming it into strength.

Understanding the Roots of Self-Doubt in Trauma Survivors

Trauma can change one’s sense of self. When individuals experience traumatic events, their sense of safety and control is often shattered. This can lead to chronic stress, anxiety, and a feeling weak or vulnerable. The mind may use self-doubt as a defense mechanism to protect itself by lowering expectations and avoiding risks.

How Trauma Contributes to Self-Doubt

How does this happen? Self-doubt stems from negative self-beliefs that are repeated over and over. These beliefs may come from experiencing a traumatic event. It might also come from the lack of support after the trauma event.

Trauma Can Change Your Brain

Biologically, trauma affects brain function. The amygdala—the brain’s alarm system—becomes over active. Elsewhere in the brain, areas responsible for rational thinking and emotional regulation (like the prefrontal cortex) may go offline. This can cause difficulty in concentration, reasoning, and heightened anxiety.

Strategies for Transforming Self-Doubt into Strength

While overcoming self-doubt is not an overnight process, there are effective strategies that trauma survivors can employ to rebuild their confidence and sense of agency.

1. Embrace Mindfulness Practices

Mindfulness is about being in the moment without judgment. Deep breathing exercises, meditation, or mindful walking can help calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety. By bringing awareness to one’s thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them, mindfulness allows individuals to observe their self-thoughts objectively.

2. Engage in Somatic Therapy for Trauma

Somatic therapy focuses on how what happens in the mind and the body. Somatic therapy helps release stored tension related to trauma by encouraging survivors to listen to their bodies’ signals. Techniques such as grounding exercises or gentle movement can foster a deeper connection with oneself, enhancing feelings of safety and control.

3. Compassionate Inquiry to find your Truth

Compassionate Inquiry aims to help clients find their truth. First, the client observes the body, then identifies self-beliefs. The client examines how the beliefs formed and determines if they still hold true.

4.  Brainspotting Allows Your Brain to Change and Heal

Brainspotting is another somatic therapy that uses eye position and awareness of body sensations to release and process trauma.   By making room for this process we can reduce hypervigilance, stress responses, and anxiety.  We know that our brains can change when conditions change.   Many clients experience greater emotional regulation, concentration, and sense of calm after brainspotting.

5. Build a Support Network

Supportive friends or family members are crucial for reinforcing positive changes. Peer support groups specifically tailored for trauma survivors provide an empathetic space where shared experiences validate individual struggles while offering collective wisdom on overcoming challenges.

6. Set Realistic Goals

Realistic goals can help you regain a sense of accomplishment. Starting with small, measurable steps, whether it be attending weekly therapy sessions, getting more sleep, exercising for 15 minutes. Often trauma leaves us in the freeze response, the best way to overcome that is with any movement at all.

Conclusion

Turning self-doubt into strength takes patience, but the rewards are worth it. By using mind, body, brain approaches, you can ensure discover how the self-doubt developed and gain tools to find your true worth. I know that thinking about trauma therapy feels frightening. Trauma sucks, but trauma therapy doesn’t have to. I work with you to create a safe place where you can learn to love yourself and change your life. If you would like to book a session with Shay, click on the link above. You can also call 858 321 6355 to book a consultation call.

Healing is Possible!