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Relational Trauma

THERAPY AND COUNSELING IN BATAVIA AND NAPERVILLE, IL AND ONLINE

Sound like you?

"I don’t know why, but no matter how much love or reassurance I get, I always feel like it’s not enough."

"I trusted them with everything, and now I don’t even trust myself to know what’s real anymore."

"I feel like I’m always bracing for something bad to happen, even when everything is fine."

"I keep ending up in relationships where I feel invisible, unimportant, or like I have to earn my worth."

You try so hard to be okay, but deep down, something always feels off. No matter how much you give in relationships, it never feels safe enough to fully trust. You second-guess yourself constantly—wondering if you’re too much, not enough, or just broken in some way. The people who were supposed to love and protect you have left wounds that still shape how you see yourself today. You might find yourself stuck in the same painful patterns—choosing partners who don’t show up for you, feeling anxious when someone gets too close, or shutting down the moment emotions feel overwhelming. Maybe you don’t even know who you are outside of what others expect from you. The weight of it all is exhausting, and even when you tell yourself to just move on, the past still lingers in your body, your thoughts, and your relationships. You want to feel safe. You want to feel loved. You want to believe you are worthy of both.

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How Relational Trauma Develops

Relational trauma isn’t always caused by one single event—it often develops over time through repeated experiences of neglect, betrayal, or emotional harm in important relationships. These wounds can start in childhood, but they can also happen in adulthood through toxic relationships, unhealthy family dynamics, or ongoing emotional manipulation. When relationships—especially those that were supposed to offer love and security—become a source of fear, instability, or pain, it can change the way you see yourself, others, and the world around you.

Attachment Trauma: When Early Relationships Don’t Feel Safe

Our earliest relationships shape how we learn to trust, connect, and express our emotions. If caregivers were inconsistent, emotionally unavailable, or neglectful, it can create a deep fear of abandonment or rejection. You might find yourself craving closeness but fearing it at the same time, struggling with trust, or feeling unworthy of love.

Betrayal Trauma: When Someone You Trusted Causes Harm

When a trusted person—such as a partner, caregiver, or authority figure—betrays you through abuse, deception, or neglect, it can shatter your ability to feel safe in relationships. Betrayal trauma can lead to self-doubt, emotional numbness, and difficulty trusting your own instincts. You may suppress the pain just to survive, but over time, it can show up as anxiety, hypervigilance, or difficulty forming healthy connections.

Complex PTSD (C-PTSD): When Trauma Happens Over and Over

Unlike a single traumatic event, complex PTSD develops from long-term, repeated relational trauma. This could be growing up in a household where emotional needs were ignored, enduring years in an abusive relationship, or facing ongoing rejection and invalidation. C-PTSD often leads to emotional dysregulation, deep shame, dissociation, and difficulty trusting others, making it hard to break free from painful patterns.

Relational trauma leaves lasting imprints, but those imprints don’t have to define your future. With the right support, you can heal, create healthier relationships, and rediscover your sense of self.

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Relational Trauma Therapy at Creating Space Therapy

Healing is possible.

We've created space just for you.

How Do I Know If I Need Relational Trauma Therapy?

If you’ve been carrying the weight of past wounds, you might wonder whether therapy could help. Here are some signs that relational trauma may still be affecting you:

You struggle with trust, even in relationships where you feel safe.

You feel like you have to earn love or prove your worth to be accepted.

You keep ending up in unhealthy relationship patterns but don’t know how to change them.

You often feel emotionally numb, disconnected, or like you're just going through the motions.

You are easily triggered by rejection, criticism, or feeling unseen.

You tend to either cling to relationships out of fear of being alone or push people away to avoid getting hurt.

Meet our Relational Trauma Therapists

Healing from relational trauma takes more than just insight—it requires a safe, compassionate space where you feel truly seen and understood. Our therapists specialize in working with individuals who have experienced attachment wounds, betrayal, complex PTSD, and other forms of relational trauma. We know how deeply these experiences shape your sense of self, your emotions, and your ability to trust others.

At Creating Space Therapy, our team is trained in evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches that go beyond traditional talk therapy. We integrate EMDR, Somatic Therapy, Emotion Focused Individual Therapy, parts work, and polyvagal-informed practices to help you heal not just your thoughts, but the way trauma has lived in your body and relationships.

We believe that healing happens in connection, and you don’t have to navigate this journey alone. Whether you’re struggling with trust, emotional overwhelm, or patterns that no longer serve you, we’re here to help you reclaim your sense of safety, self-worth, and belonging.