Is Your Anxiety or Depression Rooted in Trauma? Here’s How to Know from a Trauma Therapist in Atlanta, GA

Hi, I’m Dr. Jessica Bauer, a licensed psychologist who specializes in trauma, anxiety, and depression therapy. One of the most common things people ask me is:

“Is my anxiety or depression coming from trauma?”

Understanding where your emotional pain comes from is a huge part of healing it. Because if the root of your anxiety or depression is trauma, that changes the way we approach treatment, and it means you’re not just “broken” or “overreacting.” You’re responding to something real, even if you don’t consciously remember it.

In this post, I want to walk you through what trauma really is, how it often shows up as anxiety or depression, and how to begin recognizing if this might be true for you.

What Counts as Trauma?

When people hear the word trauma, they often think of events like physical abuse, serious accidents, natural disasters, or combat. 

But there’s another side to trauma that doesn’t get as much attention.

Trauma can also include:

• Growing up in a home where emotions weren’t welcomed or acknowledged
• Being constantly criticized, shamed, or ignored
• Feeling unsafe due to instability, addiction, or illness in the family
• Experiencing social rejection, bullying, or exclusion
• Losing a loved one without adequate support

These may not seem “traumatic” in the traditional sense, but they can absolutely shape the way your nervous system and brain function — especially if they happened during childhood.

How Trauma Shows Up as Anxiety

Let’s talk about anxiety first. If you often feel nervous, overwhelmed, or like your brain just won’t shut off, you’re not alone. These are common experiences, and they’re often linked to past trauma.

Here’s how it works:

Trauma teaches the brain that the world isn’t safe. So even when the danger is no longer there, your body may still stay in “fight-or-flight” mode. You might:

• Feel on edge all the time
• Have racing thoughts or trouble relaxing
• Struggle with sleep, digestion, or tension in your body
• Avoid certain people or situations because they feel risky, even if you’re not sure why

This is especially common if you grew up in an environment where things felt unpredictable, like never knowing if someone would be angry, shut down, or leave. Your brain learned to stay alert. That’s not a weakness. That’s a survival response.

If you’re in the Atlanta area and looking for support, working with an experienced anxiety therapist in Atlanta can help you start calming your nervous system and understanding what’s driving your anxiety.

How Trauma Shows Up as Depression

Depression can feel like the opposite of anxiety, more like a shutdown than a surge. You might feel:

• Low energy, like you’re carrying emotional weight
• Numb, disconnected, or emotionally flat
• Hopeless or like nothing really matters
• Like you’re going through the motions, without any joy or interest

Here’s the trauma connection: When your brain determines that fight or flight isn’t possible and that there’s no way out or no one to turn to, it may go into “freeze” or “collapse” mode. This is a natural survival strategy, but over time, it can show up as chronic depression.

This can happen after early emotional neglect, grief, or living in a situation where your needs were regularly unmet. It doesn’t mean you’re weak. It means your nervous system did what it had to do.

Seeking out compassionate, trauma-informed depression therapy can help you reconnect with yourself and feel more alive again — especially with the support of a qualified trauma therapist in Atlanta.

What If I Don’t Remember Any Trauma?

This is such an important question, and I hear it all the time.

You don’t have to have vivid memories of a specific event for trauma to be present in your life. Many forms of trauma are chronic, subtle, or unrecognized, especially when they happen in childhood. Others get stored in the body, not necessarily in clear memories.

Maybe no one ever yelled or hit you, but no one comforted you either. Maybe everything looked fine from the outside, but inside, you felt alone, unsafe, or like you had to constantly earn love. These experiences matter. And they often fly under the radar.

If you’ve ever thought, “Nothing that bad happened to me, so I shouldn’t feel this way,” please know that your pain is still valid. You don’t need a dramatic backstory to justify seeking help.

Signs Your Anxiety or Depression Might Be Trauma-Based

Still wondering if trauma is at the root of what you’re feeling. Here are a few common clues:

• Feeling constantly on guard or emotionally flat
• Avoiding certain emotions, conversations, or memories without knowing why
• Struggling with trust or feeling like people will hurt or leave you
• You’re highly sensitive to rejection or criticism
• You have intense emotional reactions that feel “bigger” than the situation
• You often feel stuck, frozen, or like you’re “watching life happen”
• Feeling ashamed, even when you haven’t done anything wrong

If these sound familiar, working with a trauma therapist can help you start connecting the dots gently, safely, and at your own pace.

What Can You Do About It?

Here’s the good news: Trauma is treatable. Your brain and body are designed to heal, especially in the right environment with the right tools.

At Informed Therapy Group, our team of highly trained, trauma-informed clinicians specializes in helping people understand and heal the deeper roots of anxiety and depression. Whether you’re looking for a trauma therapist in Atlanta, anxiety therapy, or depression therapy, we’re here to support you with warmth, science-backed approaches, and zero judgment.

We use techniques like:

• Somatic Therapy (body-based healing)
• Parts Work (Internal Family Systems)
• Mindfulness-based and Cognitive Therapies

These approaches help calm the nervous system, build resilience, and gently process the experiences that may be keeping you stuck.

Ready to Begin Healing? Start Working With a Trauma Therapist in Atlanta, GA

You don’t have to keep living in survival mode. Your anxiety and depression aren’t just random; they’re signals that something deeper needs attention, care, and healing.

If you’re ready to explore what’s underneath the surface, reach out to our team at Informed Therapy Group today. Whether you’re seeking a compassionate trauma therapist, an anxiety therapist in Atlanta, or just someone to help you figure out where to begin, we’ve got you.

Written by Dr. Jessica Bauer, Licensed Psychologist at Informed Therapy Group
Specializing in trauma therapy, anxiety therapy, and depression therapy in Atlanta

Let’s work together to help you feel safe, seen, and empowered — because healing is possible, and you don’t have to do it alone. Start your therapy journey by following these simple steps:

• Request an appointment through our contact page, call(404) 444-8974, or email admin@informedtherapy.com.
• Meet with an experienced therapist in Atlanta, GA.
• Start finding lasting healing!

Other Services Offered at Informed Therapy Group in Georgia

Our compassionate therapists at Informed Therapy Group take a multifaceted approach to mental health. In addition to depression and anxiety therapy, we also offer pregnancy counseling, neurodivergent therapy in Atlanta, GA, and grief and loss counseling. We also specialize in couples counseling, therapy for stress management,  and postpartum therapy. Explore our About Us page, visit our blog, or read our FAQs to learn more about how we can help you.