Thinking about seeking professional help

To recap what's happening, a traumatic memory got brought into my awareness again recently and I believe it to be beyond the capabilities and understandings of myself or even those supporting me could overcome. The ways I've been coping with it up till now has been through distraction. This isn't something I've been aware of but from the topics I've been reading up on, this definitely seems to be the case. Distractability (i.e. a reduced ability to focus) and compulsions to activities that provide a temporary relief from myself (you read that right; relief from myself) has been what has kept me apparently content. But appearances can be deceiving. It's clear to me that now that this behavior is starting to become very detrimental to my functioning as a human being. If the roots of the problem can be addressed then that would mean transcending the limitations that currently hold me back. It would mean that I would see my performance improve and as I've come to understand, my performance and self-esteem are pretty strongly correlated. Sure, there are other factors as well but those don't seem to apply in the environment of isolation and seclusion I find myself to be in. Major trust issues with people in a place I'm stuck in.

The major question is where do I go, who do I talk to and what questions do I need to answer if I am to receive professional help?

(It's too bad Manehattanite left, he probably could have given the best answer to this)