Journaling for Healing Childhood Trauma: 10 Life-Changing Prompts

Last Updated on June 17, 2023

Do you spend a lot of time thinking about the painful memories you experienced growing up? Remembering these situations is like reopening an old wound and feeling the same emotions repeatedly. And it might also be bringing you other problems which hold you back from your true potential here in life. Fortunately, there exist some very effective strategies you can use to help you heal. One such strategy is journaling, simply writing down your feelings and thoughts.

In today’s post, you’ll find ten powerful prompts to help you begin journaling for healing childhood trauma. If you haven’t read my previous post on how to heal from childhood trauma with inner child work, I recommend you to check it out first!

10 Journaling Prompts for Healing Childhood Trauma

Below you’ll find ten journaling exercises to help you release the pain of negative childhood memories and begin the healing process. I recommend you follow each step-by-step to get the most out of it. Try to challenge yourself over the next ten days by doing one journal prompt daily!

1. What Did You Think And Feel Back Then?

Go back in time and think about how negative situations affected you. Were you embarrassed when dad pointed out your crooked teeth to people? Or maybe angry that your mom kept trying to make you stand up taller and straighter? Whatever negative situations affected you, write it all down as well as you can remember.

2. What Are You Thinking And Feeling Now?

Now you should use your current “adult mind” to take a look at the situations from your childhood again. What is your adult mind telling you about what was really going on? Maybe you can see things differently now. Was mom or dad treating you that way to make you the best version you could be? Or was there something else going on? Write down your current interpretations of the situations.

3. How Did Challenging Situations Affect You Then?

How did you react to what happened as a child? How did you understand the situations at the time? Who, if anyone, have you talked to about these difficult times? Write about it in your journal!

4. How Are the Hurtful Events In the Past Still Affecting You Today?

Try to see the connections between your past and present. Make conscious decisions now to be better at managing your feelings and behaviors. Write down the ways you can differently handle your emotions.

5. Try to Understand Why Things Happened As They Did

If your parents did something you couldn’t understand while growing up, can you make sense of it now? Maybe your dad didn’t punish you by forcing you to stay home from a trip – was it possible he thought you’d be exposed to something unsafe, and he wanted to protect you? Try to see the situation from the other person’s perspective. Investigate these possible explanations by writing in your journal.

6. How Would You Rewrite Your History?

Recreate the childhood you wish you had while growing up on paper. Expressing that you wish your formative years were different is a learning experience. Rewriting your story can actually help heal.

7. How Can You Overcome Your Past?

Make a conscious decision to overcome your past. Whatever your past pains are, decide to separate them from your present life. However, the decision must be made consciously with much thought put into it. Write down how you can finally free yourself.

8. Realize That Those Events Were In the Past

When you write down your thoughts and feelings, pay attention to how long ago the situation or event occurred. Mark them as “past” in your journal. Start a new section titled “Now” and write about how you will deal with these types of emotional pains right now.

9. Make a Plan to Let Go and Move On

In your writing, consider steps you can take to move forward in your life and live more openly without being held back by your past pains.

10. Allow Yourself to Let Go of Old Negative Emotions

Write in your journal that you no longer have to suffer by carrying the past hurts with you. Allow yourself to leave it behind. You can even draw a picture of the chaotic feelings and state you are leaving all the pain between the lines in your journal.

Expressing yourself with pen and paper or even just writing on a computer can allow you to get rid of the uncomfortable feelings and continue with your goals. Use journaling now to heal old wounds and begin living your best life.

Do you want more journal prompts to heal from childhood trauma? Then, check out THIS cute printable inner child healing journal with 45 powerful prompts that I created!

See also: 30 affirmations for inner child healing

If you enjoyed this post with healing journal prompts for childhood trauma, I would be very grateful if you shared it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest! Thank you❤️

📌 PIN THIS POST FOR LATER

---