From Psychology Today/Annie Wright LMFT: “‘Why do I struggle to visualize a future for myself, let alone a positive one?’
In the 10 years Iâve been practicing as a clinical psychotherapist, I canât tell you how many times Iâve heard some iteration of this question. And the question is almost always paired with some degree of incredulity that there are people out there who can really, truly do thisâthink forward decades into the future and visualize a positive, happy outcome for themselves and then work backward, taking steps that secure that future.
It sounds unbelievable to someone with a trauma history that this is possible, just as it sounds impossible for someone with a normative psychological background to believe that others canât imagine a future version of themselves.
But, incredible as this may seem to some, the inability to visualize a futureâlet alone a positive futureâis indeed a hallmark of coming from a trauma background.
Why is this?
Terrific research has been done and continues to be done on why, exactly, trauma impacts oneâs ability to visualize a (positive) future for oneself. And while detailing the full breadth of that research is beyond the scope of this essay, Iâll share the three primary ways Iâve personally and professionally come to understand how and why trauma alters the brainâs ability to imagine a future for oneself:
1. Trauma alters memory.
2. Trauma can impair executive functioning.
3. Trauma can alter oneâs self-perception fundamentally.”
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