Trauma isn’t uncommon; about half of men and women go through it in their lives.
However, the good news is – when trauma starts affecting daily life, therapy can help. Trauma therapy, a type of talk therapy, targets different traumas. So, it’s important to know what it can handle, what to expect from a trauma-trained therapist, and how to find one.
But, the thing is – not everyone needs therapy after trauma, but some signs can show it could help. The main thing is knowing there’s support out there. Thus, if a past experience is stopping you from living fully, trauma therapy can make a big difference.
But… What Do We Mean by “Trauma?”
When something really scary or tough happens, and it becomes hard to handle or feels out of our hands, that’s called trauma. It could be one big thing or something that keeps going for a while. Not everyone feels the same after something like this happens.
Trauma may occur at almost any age and might affect us — even after a long time has passed since it happened. So, if you are experiencing any of the following, it’s important to seek help ASAP. The quicker you go through the trauma therapy services for youth, the better.
What Experiences Can be Considered as Traumatic?
When something really bad happens to you, your body stays on high alert.
You get super sensitive to everything around you, noticing even tiny stuff that can make you feel upset. It’s called hyper-awareness.
The confusing thing is, after going through something difficult, you might not even realize it’s affected you. It becomes like your everyday way of living.
Understanding how it works will be important because lots of people go through tough stuff without even knowing it, and it becomes their new normal.
1: Being Emotionally or Verbally Abused
Emotional abuse is a widespread form of trauma that often goes unnoticed because it comes in many shapes. Verbal abuse, like hurtful words, is a part of it.
It might happen in any relationship: a parent saying something hurtful to their child, a partner yelling or name-calling, or a boss bullying employees. These can deeply affect how we feel.
2: Being Sexually or Physically Abused
Physical and sexual abuse are types of trauma that hurt in similar ways. They both cross boundaries and harm your body. Trauma can mess with how you feel physically.
After going through this kind of abuse, you might not feel okay in your own skin. It can make you dislike being touched or make physical contact tough. Enjoying physical closeness or sex can also become hard after such trauma.
3: Being Neglected by Parents as a Child
When you were a kid, if your parents didn’t look after your physical or emotional needs, it’s called childhood neglect. For instance, not feeding you when you were hungry, not helping you stay clean, or ignoring when you felt scared or sad are examples.
This neglect can make it tough to handle feelings as an adult and might affect how you relate to others. In some cases, it might also lead the person to depression and anxiety.
How Does Trauma Therapy Help?
Trauma therapy and addiction often connect because many dealing with addiction have faced trauma. Big events might change how you react to things if your brain doesn’t handle them right. People from tough backgrounds might not have the tools to fix trauma on their own.
Trauma therapy helps deal with the past so you can live in the now.
1: It Can Help You Focus on Yourself and the Present
In the beginning of trauma therapy, you’ll learn about what trauma is and how it might affect people. Your therapist will learn about your past to help you focus on now and the future.
People with unresolved trauma often find it hard to move forward. They keep thinking about the past and the hurt they went through. In therapy, you’ll learn to see yourself in a better way.
You’ll make plans for the future and realize how important it is to live in the moment and not dwell on the past.
2: Learn about What Can Trigger You
In most cases, your therapy will ask you to begin journaling regularly. It might relate to when you wake up, what you do throughout the day, and how you spend your free time.
This helps you spot what makes you anxious or upset. With their support, you figure out why certain things push you to use substances.
Knowing yourself better helps you slowly make the right changes. Addiction sticks around, so it’s about making ongoing changes rather than quick fixes.
3: Lining the Dots Regarding the Trauma Correctly
In therapy for trauma (like… CPT), it’s about linking what happened to how it affected beliefs about the world, ourselves, or others.
Trauma can twist reality. However, fixing these misunderstandings can decrease the load and help mental health a lot. So, it’s best to take care of them as soon as possible.
4: Understand the Root of Your Negative Self-Beliefs
In therapy for trauma, a trained counselor helps you find the deep beliefs about yourself that stop you from moving forward.
Trauma often makes you feel not good enough, like you don’t belong or even unlovable. Even if you understand that everyone is equally valuable, these beliefs stick around.
Sometimes, it needs a specialist’s help to change these negative thoughts into positive ones.
5: Reducing Nightmares
After going through several tough experiences, some people have scary dreams connected to those tough times. Trauma therapy aims to help make those memories less frightening, which can help stop those distressing nightmares.
Conclusion
When you notice the bad habits caused by tough experiences, you’ll begin to change them. Remember, getting better doesn’t happen all at once. It needs effort and time, along with help from someone who knows how to guide you. Good luck!
