First, I'm new here. While in therapy, I've unearthed some emotional abuse from childhood that I've acknowledged, but haven't truly dealt with. I won't chat with my therapist again until after the holidays so I'd appreciate advice from y'all (excuse the Texas accent).
How do you bridge the gap from acknowledging trauma to letting it go? I'm holding all these emotional relics that I don't know what to do with.
Hi Soprano611,
Welcome to the community.
I am very sorry you suffered emotional abuse in childhood. It is really tough to get through.
Having acknowledged that, you made a huge step.
It's been a long recovery for me and I too needed a bridge.
So much changes during trauma and afterwards. I needed to have a bridge to the old me. I think I got that but I'm rebuilding my life so it is a mess and it's chaotic.
You can try different things like grounding techniques, writing a journal where you express your feelings, finding a coping mechanism that helps you, perhaps something creative or exercise or anything that takes your focus away from pain especially during the holidays.
There are different approaches to trauma therapy and it is not uncommon to need more than one modality to be able to heal.
The processing can take a while and eventually you would release those painful emotions and be able to store them as memories so they don't trigger you unexpectedly.
Each situation is different and there isn't one answer. The approach needs to be personalised to each individual unique circumstances.
Having a plan for when things are really tough can be like a safety net. Knowing that you can call someone or write can really help.
I'm sorry that your therapist is away...
I really appreciate your response!
My go-to coping mechanism has always been food, which isn't healthy. That's what started this journey in the first place - trying to get my head straight before having weight loss surgery sometime next year. I'm a food addict and am trying to break the addiction once and for all. Since I realized I had an addiction, I started digging into the underlying causes and found the emotional trauma from childhood.
Anyway, I'm working on finding a different coping strategy but I'm currently at the in-between stage where everything is all out on the table and I don't know where anything goes. Does that make sense? I feel overwhelmed and burnt out.
It makes sense, Soprano.
I'm so sorry that this coping mechanism has caused you major issues with weight. It makes me so sad that this happened...
I understand that you need to be in a good headspace before the surgery which totally makes sense to ensure the success.
I don't think it is easy to change any coping mechanism and I can't imagine how hard it is for you right now.
Maybe you can try with new ones slowly so that you can replace this one with something that doesn't impact your health, in a pace that is acceptable for you. It is easier to adapt to a slower change, maybe.
Having something else that gives you relief might help alleviate the need for comford food.
I think you are truly brave and amazing for changing your life.
I've never thought of myself as brave, but maybe I should start. 
Thank you so much for your kind words and for your advice! I appreciate it. 💜
i like your avatar picture...a lot of people face this question and many use modalities other than talk therapy--things that work with the body or imagination to process the pain, neutralize it. there is nlp, emdr, eft to name a few. it is very comforting for me to watch in a session how emotions that i am carrying can be cleaned away and the same issue will not disturb me afterwards. some things people go through seam almost impossible to get over but the research done on the subconscious mind and body mind connection give us ways that are possible if you know them.
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