Skip to main content Skip to bottom nav

It has been years since my traumatic experience, can i still get help or is it too late?

21 Answers
Last Updated: 01/15/2023 at 7:34pm
1 Tip to Feel Better
United States
Moderated by

Tracy-Kate Teleke, PsyD, M.A., LMFT

Marriage & Family Therapist

I assist adults and couples in CA experiencing relationship challenges and interpersonal struggles including anxiety, depression, and a myriad of other life challenges.

Top Rated Answers
KristenHR
January 26th, 2015 2:09am
You can definitely at any point seek help for your traumatic experience. If you are thinking about getting help, that is likely a cue that you are ready to get help. Our body and mind seems to let us know when we are ready and able to face what happened to us. It's definitely not to late. See if you can find a professional who specializes in trauma work. If not, then see if they have experience in working with trauma survivors. The International Society for the Trauma and Dissociation has a Find a Therapist link if you want to see if there might be a trauma specialist in your area.
glasseyedgrace
January 15th, 2023 7:34pm
It is never too late. As humans, we are all wired differently and therefore we deal and cope.differently. Sometimes when something traumatic happens, our brain will actually block out memories or feelings, etc to protect and preserve our mental health and overall well being. So sometimes the trauma seems to revisit us later on when we start to recall more vividly the events that took place. As long as you are breathing, it is never too late to seek help or treatment. Good for you for considering this! I truly hope it all works out for you and you can finally begin to heal. You are a survivor, you are strong, and you are worthy.
Evi
January 10th, 2015 4:53pm
It's never too late to get help. If you feel that you might benefit from getting help, that's what's important and time is no restriction here. You can still overcome your feelings towards it and learn how to move on in a proper manner.
Anonymous
January 26th, 2021 11:35pm
You can always get help and it is never too late! The worst thing to do is to assume that it is ever too late to seek help! You can always seek help. That experience will forever live in your mind. You can not bury it and feel that it is too late to seek help for this. That would only prolong being able to get peace and solace. This experience had a negative impact. By seeking help, it will allow that impact to be able to start healing. The healing process will create a positive impact that will improve your overall self.
ThePowerofKnight
October 13th, 2020 9:26pm
Hello there. I hear that you are still being affected by a traumatic event that happened many years ago. It is never too late to get support and achieve further healing from a traumatic event no matter how long ago it was. Trauma does not leave your brain's memory. Traumatic events and the pain caused by them will be with you for life, however it is possible to learn new skills and develop tools for yourself to manage the trauma when you feel yourself triggered. A licensed therapist specializing in the area of trauma you experienced would be a great start to learning new and better ways to manage past trauma when you notice it beginning to surface for you. I hope this helps. I will continue to be here to listen if you would like to chat more.
IluvBiscuits
June 18th, 2018 6:32pm
You can still get help. Try asking a doctor, therapist or school counsellor for help. Also try to reach help from friends
inventiveHouse2965
April 18th, 2018 1:30am
It is not too late. You can still get help. It was decades before i sought help, and i have made some really good strides forward in healing from the past. Don't get me wrong, it still is a lot to work through, but YES, you can get help.
Caringheart23
April 10th, 2018 5:48pm
Lot of people have similar thoughts, but it's never late to get the help you want and need. I'm really glad you decided that now is the time. Wish you the best :)
katelisalyn
November 14th, 2017 8:18pm
You can always get help! It's never too late! Don't tell yourself that it's too late if you still struggle. No one will judge you if they truly care about you and want to help you.
Brooksy999
April 5th, 2016 1:05pm
You can get help and support when ever you need it. Even if it happend years ago, hope this helped.
Anonymous
September 16th, 2015 7:07pm
Like the others said, it's never too late and of course you can! There is no time limit for anything. I feel really proud of you for your decision.
Anonymous
September 16th, 2015 2:04am
No! It's not too late at all to get help, and overall it's really brave of you to seek/obtain help! I've been through a traumatic experience and I still am too afraid to get help for it, so being willing to put yourself in that position is really courageous of you:)
hoppingpen
September 1st, 2015 6:48pm
No! It's definitely not too late. Especially if you're having symptoms of PTSD or simply recurring or disturbing thoughts about the trauma, you should definitely consider treatment. There is NO time limit on recovery, and admitting that you might need some extra help every once in awhile is a great first step!
Anonymous
July 14th, 2015 5:16am
You can always get help. Therapists will not judge you for waiting to get help. Better late than never, right?
SharewithMarcel
July 14th, 2015 2:19am
It` s never too late! No matter how long ago, if you suffer from the experience, it would be a good idea to work through this, for example with a therapist. They will take you serious, you aren`t alone with this problem.
Seph
June 6th, 2015 11:39am
It's never too late to get help. Sometimes, if we don't get help in dealing with our traumatic experiences, they can lead to problems later on in life, but It is never too late to get help.
flxrxleen
April 29th, 2015 2:18am
Yes, nothing is too late and help is always available around you. Even your friends and family can be the source of your support. Don't be afraid to search for answers and start your own healing process. :)
Anonymous
April 22nd, 2015 6:52pm
It is never ever too late to get help. Most people only find out years afterwards that they are actually still not over the traumatic experience that they believed they were and starting to realize also how it is affecting your day to day life including relationships. Also some people prefer not to get help right after a traumatic experience because they just want to forget what happened and move on. There is always help and it is never to late.
arthritisfighter
April 16th, 2015 11:32am
No matter how long it has been since the traumatic experience you can still access help and support for it. I work with veterans who were in the army and more often than not it takes 5 years for them to access any support to deal with PTSD. At the time they don't identify the traumatic experience as an issue and as the years go by the reality of it hits them and that's when they access support. It is never too late to access help and support for a traumatic experience.
AndyDufresne1994
April 4th, 2015 8:01pm
IT IS NEVER TOO LATE! If you know the experience still bothers you a trained professional can help you thought it. You deserve to be happy and healthy. Why wait any longer?
beautifulLight15
March 18th, 2015 6:32pm
It is never to late to ask or receive help. There is still a permanent memory on what had happened, you should get counseling or talk to a therapist.