Therapy for Trauma

By: Karla Heredia, PsyD, LMFT

Trauma

Have  you experienced a traumatic life event? Do painful reminders of the  past bring back intense feelings of fear, anger, or sadness? Are you  hoping to regain your sense of safety and joy? 

What is trauma?

The word “trauma” actually originates from the ancient Greeks who used it to mean “wound” or “injury.” 

When  we experience a physical wound, the body tries to heal and recover on  its own. Sometimes, the healing process works the way it should, and the  body recovers. But sometimes, the wound continues to hurt or gets  worse, thus requiring professional intervention.

The  same is true when it comes to psychological wounds. When we experience  something traumatic, the mind and body become flooded with painful  emotions. We aren’t used to experiencing traumatic events, and so we do  our best to make sense of what happened and heal on our own. 

See, traumatic experiences happen to people all the time. Some of the most common causes of trauma include:

• Near-death experiences
• Domestic violence or abuse
• Vehicular accidents 
• Death of a loved one 
• Childhood abuse or neglect
• Military combat

Sometimes, because we are hardwired for connection, we can even be traumatized by witnessing a traumatic event happen to someone else. 

Trauma  is, unfortunately, a common experience. Some people are able to make a  full recovery on their own, while others will continue to suffer the  pain of the psychological wound for weeks, months, even years after the  event – and that’s when we call it posttraumatic stress. 

Some warning signs of posttraumatic stress include:

Avoidance: 

•Use of drugs or alcohol to numb how you feel

•Avoiding certain situations or people

•Trying not to think about what happened

Alertness: 

•Constantly alert or cautious 

•Always on guard, tense, or worried

•Difficulty relaxing or sleeping

•Feeling tense in certain situations

Flashbacks:

•Reliving traumatic sights, sounds, and/or sensations

•Nightmares or night terrors

•Easily reminded of the traumatic event(s)

Mood:

•Feeling down, irritable, or sad

•Loss of hope or purpose

•Difficulty connecting with others

•Loss of motivation

When  these symptoms begin to interfere with your ability to work, play, or  love, a diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (or PTSD) is given.  If you or a loved one survived a traumatic event and have been  experiencing posttraumatic stress, there is hope. The symptoms of  posttraumatic stress are very treatable through the support and care of a  trauma therapist. 

Therapy for trauma is designed to help you in three ways.

First, therapy provides a safe, confidential space where  you can talk about what happened, work through the pain of the past,  and feel supported along the way. Survivors of trauma often feel a need  to keep their pain away from family members and friends, which means  they try to conceal or avoid talking about their experience. Therapists  can help you open up and share the burden of your trauma without fear of  overwhelming others. 

Second, therapy for trauma offers a chance to make sense of your experience and process difficult emotions.  Reminders of the trauma also called triggers, will bring back painful  moments of re-experiencing (flashbacks) where thoughts, feelings, and  sensations resurface. Therapists can help you process and become less  sensitive to triggers so that these episodes are less severe and happen  less often.

And third, therapists can train you to effectively cope with  the symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Therapy for trauma is hard work,  as talking and thinking about past experiences can sometimes bring up  difficult emotions. You can learn to practice grounding and calming  techniques, use strategic self-care and regain a sense of confidence as  you move closer towards wellness.

As you make progress in therapy for trauma, you can:

– Process and move forward from the past

– Understand your thoughts and emotions

– Learn self-compassion and acceptance

– Reconnect with yourself and others

– Be active and have energy

– Establish a personal sense of safety

– Rediscover your sense of purpose and direction

If  you or a loved one are struggling, let us help. We believe that  everyone deserves a chance to be well and have a meaningful life –  including you! Contact us today to get started.

Written by: Dr. Karla Heredia, PsyD, LMFT