How Long Does It Take to Heal from Childhood Trauma?

Recovering from childhood trauma can feel tough and confusing. There’s no set timeline for how long it can take for you to heal, as it depends on things like the kind of trauma, your support system, and how ready you are to face it. While recovery may not be quick or easy, understanding what to expect and what can affect your healing can help you feel more prepared and hopeful as you go through the process.

In this article, you will find a realistic perspective on the recovery process, what it can look like, and how to support yourself along the way.

Healing From Childhood Trauma: Key Factors

Healing from trauma is not something that happens overnight—it is a journey. You can begin it by uncovering your ACE score to figure out how past events might be affecting you now.

Commonly, trauma can leave deep emotional scars and affect how people view themselves, their relationships, and the world around them, often leading to anxiety, depression, PTSD, being insecure, and difficulty forming trusting relationships in adulthood ^[1].

Some people may find relief after a few months of therapy, while others may take years. For some, trauma may never fully “go away,” but with the right tools and support, its impact can be minimized.

Here are the key factors that will determine how long it might take for you to heal from childhood trauma:

1. The Nature of the Trauma

The type of trauma you went through has a big impact on how long recovery might take. For instance, a single traumatic event may require a different healing approach than ongoing trauma, like repeated abuse or neglect.

Complex trauma, which happens when someone experiences long-term abuse or neglect, often has a deeper and longer-lasting effect on a person’s emotional and mental health.

2. Social Support

Support from family, friends, mentors, or a therapist can make the healing process faster. Joining a support group for people who’ve been through similar experiences can also help you feel understood and less alone.

Those who grew up in environments that were emotionally or physically unsafe may find it harder to trust others and open up. In such cases, healing might take longer, as part of the recovery process involves learning to trust, which may be difficult after years of being hurt or neglected.

3. Commitment to Healing

A person who is actively engaged in therapy, exercises self-care, and works to confront and process their trauma may heal faster than someone who avoids it or suppresses painful emotions. Healing requires hard work and vulnerability, and the path forward often involves confronting difficult emotions, painful memories, and even facing fears.

4. Age and Developmental Stage

Childhood trauma can disrupt emotional development, which may make it harder for a person to regulate emotions or maintain healthy relationships as an adult. For example, a child who has experienced neglect may struggle with feelings of worthlessness and difficulty trusting others later in life.

These challenges can extend the healing process into adulthood as the person works through the developmental gaps left by early trauma. Younger survivors may process trauma more quickly than adults, but they may also face unique challenges as they mature ^[2].

5. Therapeutic Approaches

The type of therapy you choose and how often you engage in it will affect how long healing takes.

Some people may begin to feel relief within weeks or months of starting therapy, while others may need years of consistent work to address deep-seated trauma. Therapy may also need to be supplemented by other forms of healing, such as meditation, exercise, and creative expression, all of which can contribute to emotional growth and recovery.

Realistic Expectations

Trauma recovery can take anywhere from several months to many years ^[3]. For some, healing is a lifelong process that involves continuously working through triggers and emotional pain.

Here are some general stages of recovery:

1. Acknowledging the Trauma: The first step in healing is recognizing that the trauma has affected your life by facing painful memories and letting go of denial.
2. Processing Emotions: Once you accept the trauma, you begin to feel and express emotions that may have been buried for years, like anger, sadness, fear, or grief.
3. Learning to Cope: As you work through your emotions, you also start developing healthier ways to cope with triggers and stress. This could include therapy, mindfulness, or self-care practices.
4. Rebuilding Relationships: Part of healing is rebuilding relationships, especially with family or loved ones. This takes time, especially if trust has been broken.
5. Integrating the Trauma: The final stage of healing involves integrating the trauma into your life story. You begin to accept it as part of your past without letting it define your future.

References

1. ScienceDirect: The impact of childhood trauma on children’s wellbeing and adult behavior; February 2022
2. ScienceDirect: Childhood Trauma in Adult Depressive and Anxiety Disorders: An Integrated Review on Psychological and Biological Mechanisms in the NESDA Cohort; March 2021
3. National Library of Medicine: Recovery from DSM-IV post-traumatic stress disorder in the WHO World Mental Health surveys; February 2019