Betrayal Trauma: Healing Wounds and Restoring Trust

Blog | Betrayal

Today I want to share with you one of the most painful and complex topics that can affect many of us. This is the topic of betrayal trauma.

Betrayal trauma is a specific trauma that occurs in key social relationships, where the victim needs support or protection from the betrayer. This can be your father who was supposed to take care of you, or your partner who was supposed to love you. When these people violate your trust, you feel not only pain, but also helplessness.

Betrayal not only destroys our relationships, but also our mind. It can leave deep wounds on our psyche, which can affect our well-being, our emotions, our thoughts, our behaviors and our future connections.

In this article, I will explain what betrayal trauma is, how it affects our mind, and how we can heal from it.

Betrayal trauma can have different consequences for our mind, such as:

Problems with trust: when someone we trust betrays us, we lose trust not only in them, but also in other people. We become more suspicious and wary in our relationships, and it is hard for us to establish new connections or maintain existing ones.
Emotional turmoil: betrayal causes strong emotions, such as anger, sadness, shame and confusion. These emotions can be overwhelming, and it is hard for us to process them. We may experience periods of anger and sadness, struggling with betrayal.
Post-traumatic stress: in some cases, betrayal can lead to symptoms similar to those of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We may have flashbacks, nightmares and intrusive thoughts about betrayal, which prevent us from moving on and finding peace.
Insecurity and self-blame: when we experience betrayal, we may doubt our own judgment and blame ourselves for what happened. We may think that we were not worthy of better, or that we could have done something to prevent betrayal. This can greatly affect our self-esteem and self-respect.
Difficulties in future relationships: when we experience betrayal, we may be afraid to open up and be vulnerable in future relationships. We may fear being betrayed again, and therefore avoid deep connections with others.
Changes in worldview: betrayal can shatter our understanding of the world as a safe and fair place. We may become more cynical and pessimistic, and therefore complicate the search for meaning and purpose in life.

Betrayal trauma can be healed and recovered. For this we need professional help, support system, self-care, boundaries, challenge negative thoughts and time.

Especially important is psychotherapy, which can help us understand our emotions, thoughts and behaviors related to betrayal. A psychotherapist can provide us with support, guidance and tools for healing trauma and restoring trust. Psychotherapy can also help us establish healthy boundaries in relationships, challenge negative thoughts and beliefs that arose from betrayal, and find new ways to cope with stress and pain.

According to a study by Betrayal trauma: Impact, causes, and recovery - Medical News Today, psychotherapy can help reduce the symptoms of PTSD and depression in people who experienced betrayal trauma. Psychotherapy can also help them rebuild their trust and confidence in themselves and others.

Author: Stephi Balash

30 December 2023

What are the benefits of a free consultation?

Getting to know the psychologist: You can talk to the psychologist to see if they are a good fit for you in terms of their work style, personality, and specialization.

Defining the problem: You can describe your problem in detail and get qualified advice from the psychologist, which will help you better understand the nature of your problem.

Developing a plan of action: You can get recommendations on how to solve your problem, which methods and approaches may be the most effective.

Feeling supported: You can get emotional support and feel that you are not alone, because the psychologist will listen to you attentively.

Who is a free consultation suitable for?

Those looking for a psychologist: A free consultation can help you make the right choice, as you can talk to several psychologists before making a final decision.

Those who are unsure whether they need psychotherapy: A free consultation can help you understand whether psychotherapy can help you solve your problem and whether it is right for you.

Those who have a limited budget: A free consultation is an opportunity to get qualified help from a psychologist for free, to see if you need further psychotherapy.

Those who may be nervous or hesitant to start psychotherapy: A free consultation gives you the opportunity to overcome your fear of the first meeting with a psychologist, get answers to your questions, and feel more confident.

Important:

A free consultation is not a substitute for psychotherapy.

In a free consultation, the psychologist cannot give you a final diagnosis or prescribe treatment.

The purpose of a free consultation is to help you determine if a psychologist and psychotherapy are right for you, and to give you the first steps to solving your problem.

Potential benefits of a free initial consultation

During this first session: potential clients have the chance to learn more about you and your approach before agreeing to work together.

Offering a free consultation will help you build trust with the client. It shows them that you want to give them a chance to make sure you are the right person to help them before they move forward. Additionally, you should also be confident that you can support your clients and that the client has problems that you can help them cope with. Also, you can avoid any ethical difficult situations about charging a client for a session in which you choose not to proceed based on fit.

We've found that people are more likely to proceed with therapy after a free consultation, as it lowers the barrier to starting the process. Many people starting therapy are apprehensive about the unknown, even if they've had sessions before. Our culture associates a "risk-free" mindset with free offers, helping people feel more comfortable during the initial conversation with a specialist.

It's important to note that the initial consultation differs from a typical therapy session:

It can last from 15 to 30 minutes, with the specialist determining the appropriate length for this introductory meeting.

The free initial consultation is not intended to be a full therapy session. It is an opportunity for the client to learn more about the specialist and their approach to therapy, and to decide whether they want to work together.

The specialist should set clear boundaries for the free initial consultation, including the length of the session and the topics that can be discussed.

The specialist should be prepared to answer questions from the client about their experience, training, and qualifications.

The specialist should not give specific advice or recommendations during the free initial consultation. This should be done during a paid session.