Trauma Therapy
What is Trauma Therapy?
Okay, let’s be real – the word “trauma” gets thrown around a lot these days. It’s become a bit of a buzzword when we talk about mental health struggles. And there’s a reason for that: the more research we do, the more we realize that many issues like anxiety or depression might actually stem from unresolved trauma, whether it happened recently or in your early life.
A common misconception about trauma is that it only occurs when you’ve experienced a specific “one-time” event. And yes, some people do experience “one-time” trauma-causing events. However, about half of individuals who are suffering from trauma inherited their trauma over time through a series of events. Trauma is an emotional response to an event or series of negative events. When your senses are stretched to their max, trauma happens, and you are left with a negative “imprint.”
All that to say – trauma is on a lot of people’s minds these days! And we are here to help you sort through it.
Types of Trauma
There are three types of trauma that can be addressed through trauma therapy. Let’s dig a bit into what each of those traumas can be.
Emotional Trauma:
- Think verbal abuse, neglect, loss, or even seeing someone else go through something awful. This one can be tricky to spot because there are no physical scars. So, it often fies under the radar for way too long.
Physical Trauma:
- This is when someone’s been hurt – physically or sexually assaulted, injured in an accident, or even had a medical procedure that didn’t go as planned. No matter the cause, the mental and emotional effects can linger, sometimes leading to PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) or CPTSD (Chronic Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.)
Psychological Trauma:
- This is the mental fallout from events that shake your sense of safety. It could be intense stress, anxiety, or depression after a traumatic experience. Or even “secondary trauma” from witnessing something terrible, even if it was just on a screen.
Bottom line: trauma, in any form, leaves its mark on your mental health, behaviors, and relationships. Getting professional help, like trauma therapy, is key to healing and preventing those long-term mental health issues that can spiral out of control.
How Trauma Therapy Can Help
Believe it or not, therapy is more effective in treating trauma than any other mental health struggle. Studies show it’s better at reducing trauma symptoms than treating any other mood disorders! Therapy can be a critical tool in helping individuals heal from trauma.
Here are some ways that trauma therapy can be your lifeline:
- Making sense of it all: Trauma therapy gives you a safe space to talk about what happened, process it, and start healing.
- Build and refne your coping skills: You’ll learn tools to help you handle the tough stuff – things like mindfulness, relaxation techniques, grounding exercises, and prayer.
- Reframing negative thoughts: Your therapists will help you zero in on your negative thoughts about your experience, environment, and yourself and help you discover true and healthy thoughts to replace those.
- Processing emotions: Trauma therapy helps you manage and express all of the emotions tied to the trauma in a healthy way.
- Building resilience: Trauma therapy helps you fnd a sense of self-effciency, which helps you regain a sense of control of your life.
How reTHINK Approaches Trauma Therapy
At reTHINK Therapy, we use three specifc therapy approaches that are tailored to trauma.
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
- This helps you process the trauma and reduce symptoms through structured sessions that tackle both the event and its impact.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
- EMDR uses guided eye movements to help you process your distressing memories, making them less emotionally charged. You’ll still remember what happened, but it won’t have the same power over you.
- Somatic Experiencing
- This focuses on how your body reacts to the trauma, helping you release that pent-up tension.
Many of our therapists are specifcally trained in EMDR, which has an amazing success rate in reducing PTSD symptoms. Others are skilled in TF-CBT or Somatic
Experiencing. We will help you to fnd the right ft for you!
At reTHINK, trauma therapy isn’t just about understanding and processing what happened. It’s about improving your relationships, too! Trauma can deeply affect how you interact with others, but together, we will grow your communication skills and help you build healthier relationships. For those who have experienced one-time or ongoing trauma, particularly that of abuse, we know that creating a safety plan is crucial in ensuring both physical and emotional safety. Our trauma therapists will ensure that you have and know your safety plan.
You can always expect a non-judgemental and supportive environment, which is crucial for any form of healing.
Ready for your past to no longer control you?
