Trauma is defined as a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. Trauma can be caused by divorce, illness, accidents, and grief to extreme experiences of war, torture, rape, and genocide. There are several types of trauma like sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, serious accidents, witness or victim to domestic violence, witness or victim to community violence and historical trauma.
While the causes and symptoms of trauma are numerous, there are some basic signs that one can be on the lookout for, not only for yourself but for friends and family. People who have endured traumatic events will often appear shaken and disoriented. They may not respond to the conversation as they normally would often appear withdrawn or not present even when speaking.
Another telltale sign of a trauma victim is anxiety. Anxiety due to trauma can manifest in problems such as night terrors, edginess, irritability, poor concentration, and mood swings. These symptoms of trauma are common and are not exhaustive. Individuals respond to trauma in different ways. Sometimes trauma is virtually unnoticeable even to the victim’s closest friends and family members. It’s hard to help someone who pushes you away, but understanding the emotional symptoms that come after a traumatic event can help ease the process.
There are several common therapy reactions that can help you heal from trauma. how do you find out what type of trauma treatment is the best.
- Pharmacotherapy
Pharmacotherapy is the use of medication to manage disruptive trauma reactions. Medications have been shown to be helpful with the following classes of reactions or symptoms like intrusive symptoms, hyperarousal, emotional reactivity, heightened arousal, irritability, and depression. Taking medications helps symptoms to be less intense and more manageable. Consult and work with a psychiatrist if you decide to use medicines.
- Behavior therapy
Exposure is the most common form of behavior therapy. In exposure therapy, one gradually faces one’s fears; for example, the memories of a traumatic event without the feared consequences occurring. This exposure often results in the individual learning that the fear or negative emotion is unwarranted, which in turn allows the fear to decrease. Exposure therapy reduces anxiety and depression, improves social adjustment, and organizes trauma memory. There are various forms of exposure like imaginable exposure, in vivo exposure and systematic desensitization. Exposure therapy is a highly effective treatment for posttraumatic stress.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy is grounded in the idea that an individual must correct and change incorrect thoughts and increase knowledge and skills. Examples of common elements are teaching individuals how to breathe in order to manage anxiety and stress, educating individuals on normal reactions trauma, exposure therapy and identifying and evaluating negative, incorrect and irrational thoughts and replacing them with more accurate and less negative feelings.
- Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
Therapists who perform EMDR first receive specialized training from an association. An EMDR session follows a preset sequence of eight steps or phases. Treatment involves the person in therapy mentally focusing on the traumatic experience or negative thought while visually tracking a moving light or the therapist’s moving finger.
- Hypnotherapy
There is no guiding principle for hypnotherapy. Hypnotherapist guides the individual in therapy into a hypnotic state, then engages the person in conversation or speaks to the person in conversation or speaks to the person about a certain key issue.
Any therapists desire is to help you grow and heal through your traumatic experience. Reach out to a therapist in your local area now.
