It’s not always easy to spot the signs of unhealed trauma, especially when it’s been a part of your life for so long. However, understanding and recognising the symptoms of unhealed trauma is an important step in knowing whether developmental trauma is affecting you as an adult. Trauma can show up in many ways, both emotionally and physically. If left untreated, it can continue to impact your relationships, your self-esteem, and even your body. 

So, how do you know if you have developmental trauma? Here are some common signs:

Emotional and Psychological Symptoms:

• Difficulty regulating emotions: You might find yourself feeling overwhelmed by sadness, anger, or anxiety without clear reasons.
• Persistent shame or guilt: Many people with developmental trauma struggle with deep feelings of shame or guilt, often believing they are unworthy of love or connection.
• Chronic fear of abandonment: You might feel constantly on edge in relationships, worrying that others will leave or reject you.
• Emotional numbness: Some people experience a sense of disconnection from their emotions, feeling flat or unable to fully engage with life.

Relational Symptoms:

• Trouble forming or maintaining relationships: Trust issues and fear of intimacy can make it hard to build close relationships or stay in them.
• Co-dependency or people-pleasing: You might struggle to set healthy boundaries, often putting others’ needs above your own in fear of losing their approval.
• Attachment issues: If you had an insecure attachment in childhood, this could manifest as difficulty feeling safe or connected with others in adulthood.

Physical Symptoms:

• Chronic physical pain or tension: Unprocessed trauma is often stored in the body, leading to tight muscles, headaches, autoimmune or gastrointestinal problems.
• Sleep issues: Trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or having recurring nightmares are common in people with unresolved trauma.
• Hypervigilance: A constant sense of being on edge or feeling like something bad is about to happen, even in safe environments.

What Are the Physical Signs of Unhealed Trauma?

While trauma is often thought of as an emotional experience, it can also manifest physically. Unresolved trauma can lead to chronic pain, fatigue, and other health issues. This is why body-focused therapies like somatic therapy are so important in trauma recovery — they address not just the mind, but also how the body holds onto trauma. This might mean I ask you on our therapy about your general well-being, how are you sleeping, how is your eating.

What does unprocessed trauma feel like? Many people describe it as feeling stuck or trapped. There’s often a sense of being overwhelmed by emotions, or on the other end of the spectrum, feeling emotionally disconnected and numb. You might feel like you’re reliving old emotional wounds, even though you can’t pinpoint why.

Signs of Unhealed Childhood Trauma in Adults

Unhealed trauma from childhood doesn’t simply go away with time. It can continue to affect your adult life in ways you may not realise. For example, if you struggle with emotional intimacy, find it hard to trust people, or have trouble feeling safe in relationships, these can be signs of childhood trauma that hasn’t been fully processed.

• Relational difficulties: You might notice that your relationships are either too distant or too enmeshed, often marked by mistrust or fear of abandonment.
• Emotional instability: Unhealed trauma can lead to sudden mood swings or intense emotional reactions that feel disproportionate to the current situation.
• Self-esteem issues: People with developmental trauma often have low self-worth, feeling inadequate or undeserving of love and success.

Recognising these signs is the first step toward healing. While the effects of unhealed trauma can be far-reaching, they are not permanent. With the right therapy, whether through psychodynamic approaches, attachment work, or therapeutic writing, it is possible to process and heal from these wounds.