My T explained it like this - there's a part of me whose job it is to keep me safe. For me and other trauma survivors, that part tends to work overtime and keeps us from feeling things that hurt. Since you can't feel the good without the bad, the positive emotions are blocked too. Only when the part that keeps me safe believes I really am safe will I be able to feel the feelings related to my trauma. That takes time and for many people, myself included, it happens just a little at a time.

One thing my T does to try to help me access the emotions is to have me consider how I would feel if what happened to me happened to someone else- some other little girl. It certainly helps me feel the anger and even some compassion for the little girl I was.