In recent years, there has been a lot more information about how trauma in our lives can lead us toward specific responses which feel uncomfortable.
If you have experienced traumatic material in childhood or early adulthood, for example, the impact of these events can linger on until you are able to address them in a therapeutic setting.
When working with trauma response symptoms such as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, I take the approach that learning to cope with the here-and-now is a parallel process with dealing with trauma material from the past. Please visit my links page for more information and resources for trauma related conditions.