Why Your Story Matters: The Role of Family of Origin and Attachment in Trauma Therapy

When we begin therapy, we often want to focus on what's happening right now — the anxiety, the relationship struggles, the patterns we feel stuck in. But one of the most healing things we can do in trauma work is to look backward — to our story, our family of origin, and the attachment patterns that shaped us long before we had words to understand them.

Our earliest relationships — especially those with caregivers — teach us how safe the world feels, how lovable we believe we are, and how we manage closeness and distance in

relationships. These foundational experiences create our attachment style, which quietly inform how we connect, trust, and respond to emotional pain throughout life.

Family of origin work isn’t about blame — it’s about understanding. It helps us make sense of why certain dynamics feel so familiar (even when they’re painful), or why we struggle to feel secure in relationships. When we shine a gentle light on these early experiences, we start to untangle the roots of our current struggles. We gain clarity, compassion, and the power to choose new ways of relating.

And this isn’t just emotional or relational work — it’s neurological.

Our brains are shaped by our experiences. The neurons in our brain form pathways based on what we learn and what we survive. If your early environment taught you that love is

conditional, that emotions aren’t safe, or that you had to stay small to stay connected, your brain wired itself to adapt to those conditions. But the good news is: healing rewires the brain.

When we engage our story in therapy — when we reflect, name, feel, and make meaning — we’re not just talking about the past. We’re creating new neural pathways that support

regulation, resilience, and secure connection. Exploring and honoring your story within the safe

relational connection of therapy activates the brain’s innate ability to reprocess painful memories and form new patterns. This is the hope at the heart of trauma therapy: what was once wired for survival can be rewired for healing.

Your story matters. And in therapy, we make space to honor it — and to rewrite what comes next, both in your story and in your nervous system.

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Rebekah McKinney, LPC , RPT

I consider it a great privilege and honor to journey with others through life’s challenges, adventures, setbacks, and celebrations. Life can be full of trials and unexpected circumstances, but when we have the support of another person, the impossible becomes possible again. I believe in the power of hope and healing, and I desire to come alongside you to help you find both. I would love to help empower you to find the tools you need to get un-stuck and walk through the season you are in. I also serve as a Clinical Associate at our center, assisting with the children’s therapy and neurofeedback program.