Overcoming Childhood Trauma

Step 1: You admit that you're powerless over your addiction. Now what? Twelve-step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) have helped countless people on the path to recovery. But many still feel that 12-step programs aren't for them: that the spiritual emphasis is too narrow, the modality too old-school, the setting too triggering, or the space too exclusive. Some struggle with an addict label that can eclipse the histories, traumas, and experiences that feed into addiction, or dismisses the effects of adverse experiences like trauma in the first place.

Most people are familiar with PTSD. But many have not heard of complex PTSD and developmental trauma disorder. As adults, many of us experience symptoms of anxiety and depression. We feel chronically stressed. We have trouble trusting others, or we may even experience feelings of paranoia in our relationships with others. We struggle to define what it is that is bothering us, and we struggle to find ways effective ways to treat it.

I wrote this book because it is the book that I needed when I started my journey to both understanding and overcoming my traumatic past. When I started I never expected what it would become. The short version is this: I come from a dark place, my ACE score is 10, and I attempted to take my own life twice, not to mention being morbidly obese and a drug addict at 12 years old. Today, I am happy, healthy, and driven towards being my best self every day. Why? Because I choose to Think Unbroken.

The devil whispers in my ear, “Your mother can never know about this… it will kill her if she ever finds out.” Fear quakes in my six-year-old body. Shame saturates me like a soggy mist. I draw an X across my heart, cup my hand around his ear and whisper, “Cross my heart and hope to die! I promise I will never tell!” I am VOICELESS.

"Well, if you are not going to help around the house, you might as well get the hell out!" my mother yelled at the top of her lungs. She was throwing me out of the house when I was six years old! She had a frightening, aggressive posture. She was leaning forward and was stiff as a board. The world came to an end for me. I felt and emptiness in my chest; I felt powerless and absolutely forsaken.

The Life Enrichment Journey: A Guide to Healing from Childhood Trauma by Jose H. Caraballo, LCSW, is more than just an audiobook—it’s a transformative guide to healing, growth, and reclaiming your life after trauma. Drawing from his personal experiences and professional expertise as a psychotherapist, Caraballo offers readers a compassionate roadmap to break free from the lingering effects of childhood trauma and rediscover their true potential.

Seth Gehle's story is a testament to the courage and strength within each of us to overcome adversity and our personal traumas. For nearly sixteen years, Seth suffered unspeakable crimes and endured tragedy that no human should have to face. Growing up in a broken home filled with abuse and neglect, a young Seth left and found himself further down the path to hell.

Author Dr. Patrick Carnes begins by defining sexual anorexia and demonstrating how it and its parallel disorder, sexual addiction and compulsivity, often arise from a background of childhood sexual trauma, neglect, and other forms of abuse. Carnes explores the numerous dimensions of sexual health, examining key issues which must be addressed and resolved for recovery to proceed.