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Using Google Earth To "visit" Traumatic Places

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What a wonderful idea for a thread! Thanks.

I was reading thru the different ideas and thoughts that people have about re-visiting. I have gone back many, many times to my place(s). If I can find some time that I have for myself, alone. I often drive back to the old neighborhood. I drive thru there and try to feel the sadness. I find that by mourning my losses, it helps me to move on. I have also found that when I went back and cried, it helped me to "drain" my feelings and to feel sad for me- the little me. I found out, at one particular spot, that this has really helped me. I kept going back there till I had no more to cry. I even went back a few times after I thought that I was done, to be sure that I had grieved as much as I needed too. I found that by grieving for all this and what had happened to me at this particular place. (I have many more) I have been able to move on. I rarely think about this particular "instance" of my childhood.

Now, when the thoughts/memories come to the surface, I can simply acknowledge them and then move on with my day. I know that I can never get rid of them completely, but this makes it easier for me to go on with my "present day." It also helps me to remember that it happened in the past and it can't hurt me anymore.

I also agree with Lionheart777. I was surprised how much things looked different. They were much smaller and not as frightening to me. And each time that I drive thru, everything looks a little bit less scary.
 
Lopezwhere'sthefire said:
I just did some homework to find the address of the children's shelter I was in as a child...
Click to expand...

OMG amazing!! I never thought of that. Once, though, I took my friend to an institution in which he was abused in many ways when he was young. For a year he was abused and locked in there. We went back. The place he had been in was all dilapidated. The other building were OK. The look on his face , walking around, I will never forget. Intense, wondering why, how.........a forsaken soul. It was sooo sad.
 
I still live in the area of where my trauma(s) happened. Funny I read this post! Today, I was driving through the town(for an other reason) and took a drive down my old street. I'm not sure why, I could have taken a different street to get to where I was headed.

I often wonder what if the people who bought my moms house would have, if they knew what happened inside there......

A few houses down, yep...the window is the same and it still brings back memories of what happend there......

When times are tough, I take a long drive out to my dads grave....never thought of using Google earth to see it. Maybe that would help? Though the urge to go is much less since T and went together.
 
Yep, did it with my therapist to find "the house of hell" as Ive named it and just being "back" in the neighborhood freaked me out so he turned the laptop around until he found the house, turned it back around and it was like I climbed backwards over the couch, he quickly closed it as I was "spidering" backwards but it threw me off for a long time.

I also say be careful with this as if you arent pretty stable, it may make you much more unstable.
 
Reliving trauma isn't unusual but definitely not advised to do that.
 
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