When people hear the words trauma therapy, they sometimes balk. You yourself may even have said at some point, “Oh, no, that’s not for me. My life hasn’t been that bad.” This is because people tend to view trauma in extremes. Media sensationalization has taught us that trauma is typically characterized by the most violent, terrible things that can happen to a person.
While some traumas are indeed extreme and nightmarish, it is not always the stereotype. Trauma is merely an emotional response to a terrible event, but terrible is subjective. Surviving a mass shooting can be traumatizing. So can being bullied in school or being neglected by parents. Some trauma can even be passed down from generation to generation.
What is universal about trauma is that it changes the way you think, the way you act, and the way you navigate relationships. It literally changes the neural pathways in your brain as a means of defending yourself against future trauma. Fortunately, trauma therapy can help you learn healthy coping mechanisms and take back control of your mental and emotional wellbeing.
What Is Trauma Therapy?
Trauma-focused therapy is a form of therapy that tackles the ways that trauma affects your mental health. It begins with processing the trauma that occurred and the ways that trauma impacted the way you think. From there, trauma therapy addresses poor coping strategies that may have been formed in the aftermath of trauma. You and your therapist will set goals to create healthier coping strategies that will give you more control of your life.
Trauma therapy is generally done through talk therapy, though there are sometimes other methods of therapy that can be used to address trauma. You can also address trauma in general psychotherapy sessions, just not with the specialized attention that trauma therapy has. Because trauma therapy has a specific goal of reprocessing trauma and helping you form new coping strategies, it typically has a set time frame, at which point you “graduate” from trauma therapy.
Types of Trauma Therapy
Different approaches work for different patients. Naturally, there are a number of different types of trauma therapies. Some of these include:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is an intensive form of therapy that asks patients to recall and relive their traumatic experiences. As the patient relives their therapy, the therapist creates a sense of bilateral stimulation in the brain through use of a few different techniques. The main form is a pen light which the patient follows through eye movements, hence the name. However, sounds or bilateral tapping on the shoulders can be just as effective.
It is typically a short form of therapy, lasting about 6-12 sessions. It sometimes works in conjunction with CBT, as after reliving the traumatic experiences, the patient and therapist may do a bit of CBT to discuss coping mechanisms.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT is a very popular form of therapy and is often used for trauma therapy. CBT works to reframe the thought processes that inform your harmful behaviors. Often, those negative thought patterns are rooted in trauma. In CBT, you talk through how those negative thought patterns first began — the traumatic experience that may have brought them out. Then your therapist helps you to reframe your perception or thought pattern. By reframing your thought pattern, you can then change your behavior.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT)
DBT has some roots in CBT and helps patients regulate their emotions and address their “target behaviors” and the triggers that cause those target behaviors. It is often used as a treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), borderline personality disorder (BPD), and addiction. DBT involves validating that those target behaviors may have come from a valid place of trauma or may have felt necessary at one point, accepting that they are no longer helpful, and working to find alternatives.
Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)
One of the common symptoms of PTSD is anxiety or distress about events, places, and activities that might trigger your trauma. PE involves gently exposing yourself to those sources of anxiety while processing your trauma and delving into what might be at the heart of your fear.
Your therapist will guide you through breathing exercises and coping techniques in therapy and then encourage you to confront the source of anxiety. This may be going back to the place where you experienced the trauma, getting involved in social activities that may cause anxiety as a result of your trauma, and so on.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
CPT is another branch off from CBT, but specifically geared towards processing trauma. In CPT, you will process your trauma and reframe your thoughts about why that event happened. Often trauma can come with a sense of guilt. You may feel that your trauma happened to you because of something you did to deserve it, and this feeling can impact the way you navigate the world.
In CPT, you will work to unpack why you believe what you believe about your trauma and reframe your thinking. Once freed from these maladaptive thoughts, your trauma will be able to loosen its hold on you.
Expressive Arts Therapy
Sometimes trauma can be difficult to talk about. Expressive arts therapy is often used as a trauma therapy for children, but it can also be used for adults. It can utilize visual art, movement, writing, music, or drama to help patients express themselves and process their trauma. Your therapist will encourage you to utilize art to articulate your thoughts and feelings. You may discuss the art afterwards or reflect on it yourself.
Process Your Trauma With Help From Rivia Mind
The memory of trauma will stay with you, but it does not have to control your life. By processing your trauma and reframing your thoughts, you can regain your agency and move forward. Rivia Mind works with skilled and compassionate mental health providers who are experienced in a number of different types of trauma therapies. Contact us today to learn more or to schedule an appointment with one of our providers.
