There’s No Future Plan – Because You Didn’t Expect to Be Here For It

“I never really thought I’d be here for this”. Nathan did not expect to live past 25. It was not like he intentionally wanted to die, but he just felt there was an unshakeable feeling that his life would end too soon. He survived an abusive childhood where there was emotional and psychological abuse, and he learned early in his childhood that nothing was certain. As he moved through his teens and into adulthood, he began to feel that he would most likely not live past his twenties. Even he graduated college and started working, the idea lingered. He was detached from his life. When others close to him planned weddings or spoke of saving for retirement, Nathan struggled to see past the next day, bracing for a storm that he feared would come for him. 

Trauma profoundly impacts an individual’s ability to envision and plan for the future.  “There’s no future plan because you didn’t expect to be here for it,” encapsulates the pervasive sense of uncertainty and disconnection that many trauma survivors experience, hindering their capacity for future-oriented thinking.

The psychological aftermath of trauma often includes symptoms such as hypervigilance, emotional numbness, and intrusive memories. These responses can dominate a survivor’s mental landscape, making it challenging to focus on anything beyond immediate survival. Research highlights that trauma can disrupt cognitive functions essential for planning and decision-making, including attention, memory, and executive functioning (Wingenfeld et al., 2021).

Time and Self

Time distortion, or temporal distortion, is changing a person’s perception of time. If you have ever read or played a video game and told yourself, “I’ll just do this for five minutes,” then looked up and hours have passed. Our sense of “being-in-the-world” depends on time, not only for constancy and continuity regarding events, but also, to our sense of self. Our sense of self-continuity is an essential constitutive condition to qualify as a person with a past and a future (Blom et al., 2021).. Trauma can alter one’s perception of time and self. Survivors may feel trapped in the past, with traumatic events replaying in their minds, leading to a diminished sense of future. Trauma can lead to a “foreshortened sense of future” that is caused by a temporal distortion, where individuals struggle to envision positive outcomes or set long-term goals (Friedman et al., 2020).

Trapped in the Past

Trauma can trap us in the past by anchoring our minds and emotions to the intense, often overwhelming experiences we’ve survived, making it difficult to move forward. Here’s how this process happens:

1. Traumatic experiences can cause the brain to store memories in a way that feels vivid, immediate, and hard to distance ourselves from. When these memories intrude, they often come with a rush of emotions, like fear or shame, that make the trauma feel as if it’s happening all over again. This cycle can create a sense of being “stuck” in past moments rather than present reality.
2. Trauma rewires the brain to anticipate danger, especially if it was experienced repeatedly. This heightened vigilance becomes a survival strategy, but it also keeps us alert to threats even when none exist. Instead of relaxing in the present, we live in a constant state of readiness, as if we are still in the unsafe situations of the past.
3. Trauma can skew our perception of time, making it difficult to imagine a safe or hopeful future. Because traumatic memories are stored differently, they can feel timeless and overwhelming, giving us a “foreshortened” sense of life. Survivors often feel trapped in the past because the brain’s protective mechanisms prevent them from fully engaging with new, future-oriented thoughts.
4. Trauma often leaves us with beliefs about ourselves and the world that reinforce a sense of hopelessness or unworthiness, which can feel hard to escape. This inner narrative might say things like, “I’m only good at surviving,” or “I’ll never get past this.” Such beliefs can anchor us to the past, limiting our ability to envision growth or healing.
5. Trauma often brings with it avoidance behaviors. Survivors may unconsciously avoid people, places, or situations that trigger reminders of the traumatic experience. This limits new experiences and reinforces the cycle of focusing on past pain, creating a form of self-protection that ironically keeps us within the bounds of past trauma.

Addressing these challenges requires trauma-informed care approaches that acknowledge the profound impact of trauma on future planning. Interventions such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) have been shown to help survivors process traumatic memories and develop coping strategies, thereby enhancing their ability to engage in future planning.  Trauma-informed interventions can significantly reduce PTSD symptoms and improve psychological outcomes, facilitating a more future-oriented mindset (Amaya-Jackson et al., 2021).

Creating supportive environments that foster safety, trust, and empowerment is also crucial. Community-based programs and peer support groups can provide survivors with the resources and encouragement needed to rebuild their lives and envision a hopeful future. As we continue to understand the intricate ways trauma affects individuals, it is imperative to develop and implement strategies that support survivors in reclaiming their sense of future and purpose.

References

Amaya-Jackson, L., Reynolds, V., Sullivan, K., Saunders, B. E., & Kilpatrick, D. G. (2021). Trauma-informed treatment: Efficacy of interventions for PTSD in youth and adults. PLOS ONE, 16(5), e0252747. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252747

Friedman, M. J., Resick, P. A., Bryant, R. A., & Brewin, C. R. (2020). Considering PTSD for DSM-5. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 21(5), 522-537. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2020.1754716

Wingenfeld, K., Schäfer, I., & Olff, M. (2021). Trauma, memory, and cognitive functioning: A systematic review. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 34(6), 1077-1088. https://doi.org/10.1002/jts.22691