What is Trauma Treatment?
Trauma consists of the events, experiences, and effects that create overwhelm in the body and emotions. Trauma therapy is a type of mental health treatment that can help people who have experienced traumatic events. Traumatic events can include things (like car accidents, natural disasters, sexual assault, and combat), experiences (such as abuse, emotional or physical neglect, and relationship losses), and effects (difficulty trusting others, poor self-worth, and challenges connecting to others). Trauma can have a profound impact on a person’s life, leading to symptoms such as anxiety, depression, flashbacks, nightmares, and relationship instability. Trauma therapy can help people who have experienced trauma to cope with their symptoms, reduce their distress, and improve their quality of life.
Types of Trauma Therapy
There are many different types of evidence-based modalities in trauma therapy, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Some of the most common types of trauma therapy treatment include:
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT): CBT is a type of therapy that focuses on changing the way people think about and react to traumatic events. CBT can help people to challenge negative thoughts and beliefs about themselves and the world, and to develop coping skills for dealing with stress and anxiety.
Trauma Focused CBT – TF-CBT is an evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents impacted by trauma and their parents or caregivers. It is a components-based treatment model that incorporates trauma-sensitive interventions with cognitive behavioral, family, and humanistic principles and techniques. TF-CBT has proved successful with children and adolescents (ages 3 to 18) who have significant emotional problems (e.g., symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, fear, anxiety, or depression) related to traumatic life events. It can be used with children and adolescents who have experienced a single trauma or multiple traumas in their lives.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR is a type of treatment that uses bilateral stimulation (BLS) of eye movements, taps, or tones to help people re-process traumatic memories using both hemispheres of the brain. Research using EMDR can has been shown to help people to reduce the intensity of their symptoms and to regain a sense of control peace and safety in over their lives.
Exposure therapy: Exposure therapy is a type of therapy that gradually exposes people to the things that they are afraid of. Exposure therapy can help people increase coping skills to overcome their fears and to reduce their anxiety.
Safe and Sound Protocol: SSP is an auditory intervention that helps people that have troubles with feeling safe, and being connected, calm and social with others. This includes people with anxiety, trauma and neurodevelopmental conditions (such as ASD).
Trust Based Relational Intervention: TBRI® is a holistic approach that is multidisciplinary, flexible, attachment-centered, and challenging. It is a trauma-informed intervention that is specifically designed for children who come from ‘hard places,’ such as maltreatment, abuse, neglect, multiple home placements, and violence.
BrainSpotting: Brainspotting is another tool that uses bilateral elements. Powerful focused treatment method that . It works by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation and a variety of other challenging symptoms. Brainspotting is a simultaneous form of diagnosis and treatment, enhanced with Bilateral sound, which is deep, direct, and powerful, yet focused and containing.
Somatic Experiencing®: Somatic Experiencing® (SE) aims to resolve symptoms of stress, shock, and trauma that accumulate in the body using tools and techniques to allow the body time and opportunity to release the physical experiencing of it. When we are stuck in patterns of fight, flight, or freeze, SE helps clients release, recover, and become more resilient within their own body. It’s a gentle yet powerful mechanism of resolution.
Benefits of Trauma Therapy
Trauma therapy treatment can help those who have experienced traumatic events, experiences, and effects in a number of ways, including:
Reducing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): PTSD is a mental health condition that can develop after a person experiences a traumatic event. Symptoms of PTSD can include flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, and depression. Trauma therapy can help people to reduce the severity of their PTSD symptoms and to improve their quality of life.
Improving sleep: Traumatic events can often lead to sleep problems, such as insomnia and nightmares. Trauma therapy can help people to improve their sleep patterns and to get the restorative rest they need.
Increasing self-esteem: Traumatic events can often damage a person’s self-esteem. Trauma therapy can help people to rebuild their self-worth and to feel good about themselves again.
Improved relationships: Because trauma responses can negatively impact one’s most important relationships, trauma treatment can help people improve communication and connection within their most valued relationships.
How to Find a Trauma Therapist:
If you are interested in trauma therapy, it is important to find a therapist who is experienced in this type of treatment. You can ask your doctor for a referral, or you can search for a therapist online. When looking for a therapist, be sure to ask about their experience with trauma therapy and their approach to treatment.
At Connections Child and Family Center in Spring, Texas we have clinicians with experience in the above treatments for trauma. Our clinicians specialize in trauma treatments for children, teens, adults, families and more.
Are You Ready for Trauma Therapy?
If you have experienced a traumatic event, you are not alone. There are many resources available to help you cope with your symptoms and to begin the healing process. Trauma therapy can be an effective way to reduce your symptoms, improve your quality of life, and move on from your trauma. If you are interested in trauma therapy, we encourage you to reach out to our team of trained therapists today.