Understanding Trauma
Trauma is a natural response to a life-threatening or deeply distressing experience. It can arise from a single event or from ongoing situations that extend over a long period, such as childhood neglect or abuse. Trauma affects individuals deeply, influencing emotions, behaviors, and physical health, often making everyday life challenging.
Types of Traumas Addressed at Touchstone Trauma Therapy
- Acute Trauma: Results from a single stressful or dangerous event. Treatment focuses on processing this isolated incident through targeted techniques.
- Chronic Trauma: Arises from repeated and prolonged exposure to stressful situations, requiring ongoing therapeutic support to address complex emotional responses.
- Complex Trauma: Involves multiple traumatic events, often interpersonal, necessitating a multifaceted therapeutic approach.
- Developmental Trauma: Occurs during critical developmental stages such as the childhood years, impacting emotional and psychological growth.
- Secondary Trauma: Experienced by those who empathize deeply with trauma survivors, with treatment focusing on managing emotional health.
- Historical or Intergenerational Trauma: Affects entire communities and is passed down through generations, requiring community-focused and culturally sensitive healing approaches.
- Systemic Trauma: Emerges from systems of power that perpetuate inequality, with therapy aimed at empowering clients and addressing broader systemic impacts.
Signs of Trauma: Trauma Responses
Trauma can elicit a wide range of responses in individuals, depending on the nature of the trauma, the person’s past experiences, and their overall emotional and psychological makeup. Here are some common trauma responses:
Hyperarousal (or Hypervigilance)
Hyperarousal is a state of increased psychological and physiological tension. Individuals may appear overly alert, anxious, or jittery. This state can manifest as:
- Difficulty sleeping
- Irritability or anger
- Panic attacks
- Exaggerated startle reflex
- Constant worry or fear
Intrusion (or Re-experiencing)
Intrusive thoughts involve involuntary and vivid memories of the traumatic event. These can disrupt daily life and make it difficult to move past the trauma. Common forms include:
- Flashbacks, where the person feels as though they are reliving the traumatic event
- Nightmares related to the trauma
- Distressing and intrusive memories or images
Avoidance
Avoidance is a coping mechanism where the person attempts to avoid thoughts, feelings, conversations, places, people, and activities that remind them of the trauma. This can significantly impact one’s lifestyle and relationships, leading to:
- Avoiding certain locations or refusing to talk about the traumatic event
- Social withdrawal and isolation
- Loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable
Negative Changes in Thoughts and Mood
This response involves a significant alteration in how the individual perceives themselves, others, and the world around them. It may include:
- Persistent negative emotional states such as sadness, terror, or shame
- Feeling detached or estranged from others
- Inability to experience positive emotions
- Persistent pessimism about the future or a sense of a foreshortened future
Dissociation
Dissociation is a mental process of disconnecting from one’s thoughts, feelings, memories, or sense of identity. This is often a defense mechanism to cope with overwhelming trauma. Symptoms might include:
- Feeling numb or detached from one’s body or emotions
- Depersonalization (feeling disconnected from oneself)
- Derealization (feeling as if the world is not real)
- Dissociative amnesia (inability to remember important aspects of the traumatic event)
Somatic Symptoms
Trauma can also manifest in physical symptoms, which may not be directly linked to a physical injury. These can include:
- Unexplained chronic pain
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Extreme fatigue or exhaustion
- Headaches or migraines
Regression
In some cases, particularly in children, trauma can lead to regression to earlier developmental stages. This can manifest as:
- Bedwetting
- Speech difficulties
- Clingy or dependent behavior
- Returning to behaviors they had outgrown
Our Approach to Trauma Therapy
At Touchstone Trauma Therapy, we utilize specialized treatment modalities that have been empirically studied and proven effective for trauma recovery. Our approach is designed to address both the immediate and long-term effects of traumatic experiences, helping you regain control and move forward with resilience.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS therapy helps in identifying and interacting with various internal parts that may be affected by trauma. By understanding these parts and fostering an environment of self-compassion and curiosity, clients can heal internal conflicts and emotional wounds related to traumatic experiences.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR is highly effective for processing and reducing the intense emotions associated with traumatic memories. Through the use of Bilateral Stimulation (BLS), EMDR helps clients to reprocess traumatic memories, reducing the lingering emotional impact of traumatic memories and facilitating a healthier, more stable mental/emotional state.
Somatic Therapies
Somatic therapies focus on the connection between the mind and body, which is often disrupted by trauma. Techniques such as grounding and resourcing are used to stabilize the nervous system, enhance bodily awareness, and reintegrate the body into a safe place.
Benefits of Trauma Therapy
Engaging in trauma therapy can lead to profound changes, including:
- Reduced Trauma Symptoms: Decrease in flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts.
- Emotional Regulation: Improved management of emotions and reduction in feelings of fear and anxiety.
- Increased Self-Esteem: Healing from trauma often leads to enhanced self-confidence and self-worth.
- Healthier Relationships: Therapy provides tools for better communication and deeper connections with others.
- Physical Health Improvements: Alleviation of trauma-induced physical symptoms such as tension and fatigue.
Why Choose Touchstone Trauma Therapy?
We offer a compassionate and effective approach to trauma treatment, focusing on your individual needs and the specific challenges you face. At Touchstone Trauma Therapy, we are dedicated to supporting you on your journey towards wellness and recovery. If you have any questions about our treatment approach, feel free to send us a message and we will get back to you.
