Trauma Healing Journal Prompts: 40 Prompts to Process Your Past

This post contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you sign up or purchase products or services mentioned. Read the full disclosure here.

Last Updated on May 28, 2023

Healing from trauma isn’t simple, and it’s often not linear either. It’s a journey with ups and downs, suppressed emotions, and chronic anxiety. It’s messy and complex, and can sometimes be a lifelong battle. While there’s a lot that goes into healing trauma, writing can be one of the many powerful tools to get you through it.

Using trauma healing journal prompts can help you regulate your emotions, process uncomfortable thoughts and memories, and ultimately guide you in coming to terms with your past.

As someone with a history of trauma myself, I’ve used a combination of journaling and online therapy to understand more about my triggers and reshape the negative core beliefs that have resulted from my trauma. And I can tell you that writing has been one of the most effective coping strategies for myself and many others!

If you need a little extra support, these trauma healing journal prompts are a great place to start. Self-support like this will go such a long way in your healing journey!

Table of Contents

This post is all about trauma healing journal prompts.

Trauma Healing Journal Prompts

Do you think there are some ways you’ve stopped yourself from growing? How so?
When you were going through trauma, did you realize it at the time? If not, when did you?
What emotions from the past are you still holding onto?
In what ways has your trauma impacted your current behaviors and thought processes?
Do you experience hypervigilance? (the state of constantly assessing threats around you) If so, what brings this feeling on the most?
In what ways have you ultimately grown stronger from your trauma?
Do you ever downplay what you’ve experienced? Why?
Do you still have anger or resentment toward the situation or person that caused your trauma? Explain your feelings.
In what ways have you moved forward or made progress away from your trauma?
How do you deal with tough memories, emotions, thoughts, or behaviors?

Do you have any self care activities in place?
When interacting with others, do you tend to overshare or stay very private?
Do you experience nightmares? How frequently? Note any common or recurring themes.

Journal prompts to process past trauma

Do you think your trauma is holding you back from living a fulfilling life?
Are you able to honor yourself and what you’ve been through, recognizing that it does not define you?
How can you show yourself more kindness, understanding, and compassion?
In which ways do you still have healing to do?
What is a negative core belief you hold? What evidence is there against it showing that it’s not true?
What are some ways you can express self love and be gentle to yourself through the healing process?
What are 5 things, people, or places that make you feel safe?
How have you persevered despite the trauma you faced?
What is the number one trauma response you’re working on and what steps are you taking to work on it?
What was your greatest fear as a child?
What was your greatest fear as a teenager?
What is/was your greatest fear as a young adult?

Could your inner child use a little care after trauma?

Feeling out of touch with your inner child? Been through a traumatic experience? My printable inner child journal PDF can help you give your inner child the love they deserve but didn’t get.

This workbook will help you:

Overcome negative feelings like fear, self-blame, insecurity, and a harsh inner critic.
Discover the link between your adult behaviors and the childhood roots they stem from.
Re-parent your inner child as you get back in touch with fun, play, and a solid self care plan.

GET THE INNER CHILD WORKBOOK

How would you describe your childhood?
Was your childhood home unstable? How so?
Describe your relationship with each of your parents. Has their influence impacted you in negative ways?
Something I wish my family understood about me is ______.
What triggers my fight or flight response the most?
What support did you need growing up that you felt you didn’t receive?

Journal prompts for identifying trauma triggers

What are some of your common triggers?
How do you feel when triggered? Describe this in detail.
What can you do to better cope when something triggers you?

Is there anything you grieve from your childhood?
How can you accommodate yourself in your adult life to make the effects of your trauma easier?
When do you feel most at peace?
What are you in control of in this moment?
What do you need to forgive yourself for?
Have you ever gone to therapy? What do you most need out of a therapy session?

While journaling is a useful piece of the puzzle for trauma healing, you’ll find the most benefit if you pair it with therapy. Talking to an online therapist can really help you out. I know it’s helped me tremendously with my trauma! I always recommend Online Therapy because it’s a comprehensive, effective online therapy toolkit at an affordable monthly cost. Get 20% off your first month at the link below!

FIND AN ONLINE THERAPIST

Does journaling help with trauma?

Yes, absolutely! The American Psychological Association says that practitioners have used journals, logs, and other forms of writing for years to help people heal from stressors and trauma.

The APA goes on to say that you need focused thought as well as emotions for writing to be effective for trauma. You need to find meaning in a traumatic memory and feel the related emotions to find benefit. This is why journaling is an excellent form of emotion regulation because it helps you process memories, thoughts, and complex emotions.

With all of those elements together, it is very possible that writing and using trauma healing journal prompts are powerful additions to your trauma healing process.

How do I start a healing journal?

I highly recommend starting a journal for your healing. This could either be a blank notebook you dedicate to healing, or even a guided journal with prompts specific to managing your mental health. I have a printable mental health journal you should absolutely check out to help you process tough emotions, thoughts, and behaviors.

Top tips to begin journaling for trauma healing:

Start your journey from where you’re at right now. Don’t worry if you’re far from where you want to be. Accepting yourself as you are is a crucial step in self love.
Let your words flow without any judgment.
Don’t rush your journal entries. Take the time to carefully consider what’s on your mind and how you feel.
Unpack past events and see how you can connect the dots to how they’ve impacted you today.
Keep an open mind and aim for self-discovery. Take note of any new findings you learn about yourself and your behaviors.

Psst…we could all use a little self care to help in our trauma journey. Grab my (free!) self care daily check in sheet below! A super easy way to incorporate a little journaling into your routine each morning and night.