Getting Real About Trauma: The Impact & Ways to Heal
Trauma seems to be a trendy, but often misunderstood topic, especially when it gets thrown around casually on social media. Trauma refers to an overwhelming experience that you were emotionally unable to comprehend or handle. In other words, your brain and its resources were unprepared to effectively process and respond to an actual or perceived emotional event. Trauma typically occurs when you experience something particularly threatening, distressing, shocking, etc., and it often has lasting effects on a person's thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships.
Understanding the Impact
Trauma shows up in many different ways, including:
Emotional Distress: Trauma survivors may experience overwhelmingly intense emotions, including those sparked by fear, anger, sadness, guilt, or shame.
Intrusive Thoughts and Memories: People struggling with trauma may experience intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, or nightmares related to the traumatic event. These symptoms can be distressing and lead to avoidance of related triggers.
Changes in Behavior: Trauma can influence how we behave and interact with others. A person may become withdrawn, hypervigilant, or engage in self-destructive behaviors as a way of coping with their experiences.
Physical Symptoms: Trauma can also show up as physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach issues, insomnia, or fatigue. These symptoms could be because the body reacts to what it comprehends as threat or danger.
Therapeutic Approaches to Healing from Trauma
As a psychologist, I offer evidence-based therapeutic approaches to help you navigate the healing process from trauma. These approaches fall under the umbrella of trauma-informed care, which recognizes the impact of trauma on individuals and emphasizes safety, trustworthiness, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.
ACT for Trauma: Drawing from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), this therapeutic modality offers practical tools and exercises to help navigate the aftermath of trauma by fostering acceptance, mindfulness, and value-based action. ACT for Trauma allows you to reclaim control over your life and move towards a path of resilience and growth.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT helps people identify and challenge negative thought patterns and beliefs related to the traumatic event. It also teaches coping skills to manage overwhelming emotions and reduce avoidance behaviors.
Dialectical-Behavioral Therapy (DBT): DBT for Trauma is another approach to healing deep emotional wounds. It focuses on mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. DBT provides practical skill-based strategies to confront and overcome the challenges created by traumatic experiences.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT): Through structured exercises and guided reflection, CPT for trauma can allow people to challenge distorted beliefs, break free from self-blame, and develop a new understanding of their pasts.
Trauma is super complex and requires compassionate and specialized care. If you or someone you care about is struggling to cope with the effects of trauma, know that help is within reach. Reach out, seek support, and allow yourself the opportunity to heal.