How Trauma Shapes Your Thoughts And How Therapy Helps
Chanderbhan Psychological Services
Over the past decade, trauma has become a central discussion topic in our culture. We hear about trauma in schools, on social media, in workplaces, and in conversations about PTSD and trauma recovery. The word is used frequently and to describe a range of human experiences.
It’s important to approach this carefully. Trauma, in its most clinical sense, refers to events that overwhelm a person’s ability to cope. These events may include sexual assault, physical abuse, severe accidents, combat exposure and other overhelming events. These experiences can profoundly disrupt a person’s sense of safety and control, often leading to PTSD symptoms like hypervigilance, emotional numbing, or intrusive memories.
At the same time, there are other experiences that may not meet strict diagnostic definitions but still shape us deeply. Betrayals in marriage. Growing up in an extremely invalidating environment or one where there was chronic instability or emotional unpredictability. These experiences may not always be labeled trauma, but they can leave lasting marks on us and trauma-focused therapy will likely benefit us.
What these events often have in common is not simply that they happened, but that they altered how we see ourselves and the world.
How Trauma Changes the Way We See Ourselves
Fundamentally, trauma is not only about what occurred in the past. It is about how the past shapes our current thinking and ultimately our lives.
After difficult experiences, people often develop beliefs in several key areas of life. These areas include safety, trust, power and control, esteem, and intimacy. These are central pillars of a stable sense of self and key to building a life that’s worth living.
For example, someone who has been betrayed may begin to believe, “No one can be trusted.” A person who has experienced abuse may conclude, “I’m never safe with men,” or “I should have known better.” Someone who grew up in chaotic circumstances may think, “I can only rely on myself,” or “If I don’t stay in control, everything will fall apart.”
These thoughts usually feel factual. They feel protective. In many ways, they developed to make sense of overwhelming experiences.
Here’s the thing: those thoughts live in the present, not the past. And they shape our present and, consequently, the future.
If I believe no one can be trusted, I’ll feel unsafe. If I feel unsafe, I’ll behave in ways designed to protect myself. I may withdraw. I may avoid intimacy. I may construct a life that minimizes risk. The belief shapes my emotions, and my emotions shape my behavior.
Over time, these patterns can keep a person stuck. They prevent the development of healthy, stable relationships. They limit growth. They restrict the possibility of feeling whole.
How Trauma Therapy Helps You Move Forward
That’s why it’s important that if you engage in trauma therapy, at some point, you shift the focus from “This is what happened to me” to ask, “What am I saying to myself now?”
The good news is that thoughts and beliefs can be examined.
Changing them isn’t about pretending the trauma did not occur. It’s not about minimizing the damage you experienced. It is about explicitly identifying the beliefs that formed in response to the trauma and evaluating whether they are accurate, overly broad, or unhelpful.
This requires deliberate work. A lot of the time trauma-related beliefs shape our lives and we don’t even realize it. Addressing them means bringing those thoughts into the room and asking questions such as: What is the evidence for this belief? Is this always true? Is it possible that this belief developed in a context where it made sense, but now limits me?
Simply talking about traumatic events repeatedly is not enough to create change. What creates change is identifying how the trauma shaped your beliefs and then actively challenging those beliefs in a structured way.
There is a therapy specifically designed to do this called Cognitive Processing Therapy, or CPT. CPT is an evidence-based therapy for trauma that focuses on identifying stuck points, the beliefs that keep recovery from moving forward. In CPT, clients learn skills to distinguish facts from interpretations, challenge unhelpful beliefs, and develop more balanced ways of understanding themselves and others.
At Chanderbhan Psychological Services, our therapists are trained in CPT. One of the things we really appreciate about CPT is that it’s empowering. It doesn’t position people as permanently damaged by their past. Instead, it provides tools that allow our clients to regain a sense of agency. Clients leave therapy with practical skills they can continue to use long after treatment ends.
Trauma can shape us. That’s real. But the beliefs that formed in response to trauma are not fixed. They can be examined. They can be revised. And when they change, your sense of safety, trust, and self-worth begins to shift as well.
If you’re looking for trauma therapy in Laredo or South Texas, it may help to know that there are structured, evidence-based approaches available. Cognitive Processing Therapy is one of the most well-researched treatments for PTSD and trauma-related symptoms. It focuses directly on how trauma shapes thoughts and beliefs, and it provides practical skills that clients can continue using long after therapy ends.
If you are curious about what Cognitive Processing Therapy actually looks like, you may find it helpful to listen to the This American Life episode titled “Ten Sessions,” which follows a client through the course of CPT. Find the episode here:
https://www.thisamericanlife.org/682/ten-sessions
At Chanderbhan Psychological Services, we provide evidence-based trauma therapy and counseling in Laredo, TX for adults, as well as online trauma therapy and counseling across South Texas. Our clinicians are trained in structured treatments for PTSD and trauma-related symptoms, including Cognitive Processing Therapy.
We also have experience working with first responders and public safety professionals, who often face repeated exposure to high-stress and traumatic events.
If you’re wondering whether trauma counseling could help you, we’re available to talk through your questions and help you determine the right next step. You can reach out through the Contact Form on our website.
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Trauma is often used to describe many different kinds of painful experiences. Clinically, trauma refers to events that overwhelm a person’s ability to cope, such as sexual assault, physical abuse, serious accidents, or combat exposure. These events can lead to symptoms like hypervigilance, intrusive memories, or emotional numbing.
At the same time, there are other experiences that may not meet strict diagnostic criteria but still shape us deeply. Chronic invalidation, betrayal, instability, or prolonged stress can alter how we see ourselves and others. Whether or not something meets a formal definition, what matters is how it has affected you.
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Trauma often shows up less in memories and more in beliefs. You might notice ongoing difficulty with trust, feeling unsafe even when you logically know you are not in danger, pulling away from intimacy, or being overly self-critical. You may find yourself thinking things like, I can’t rely on anyone, I should have handled that better, or I’m never really safe.
These thoughts can feel factual. Over time, they shape emotions and behavior in ways that limit your life. If you feel stuck in patterns that trace back to a difficult experience, it may be worth exploring how those events shaped the way you think.
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Trauma therapy is not about retelling the story over and over. It’s about understanding how the experience shaped your beliefs and learning how to evaluate and adjust those beliefs in the present. In approaches like Cognitive Processing Therapy, we work to identify thoughts that developed in response to trauma and examine whether they are accurate, overly broad, or keeping you stuck.
The goal isn’t to erase what happened. It’s to help you regain a sense of safety, trust, and agency so that your past no longer dictates how you live today.
