TraumaTherapy

What is Trauma?
At times, our lives seem safe and predictable. We often hear about serious car accidents, train accidents, criminal assaults, natural and man-made disasters, and other traumatic events in the newspapers or through watching TV and we never expect to experience them directly ourselves. Or maybe our lives do not feel safe, and our experiences are unpredictable as what we have gone through in our past, any childhood trauma feels like it is impacting our present reality.

A traumatic event is an emotional shock and can be an intensely distressing experience that can overwhelm our ability to cope. It can be caused by a range of events, involving physical, sexual abuse, or assault, distress in childhood, bereavement, family issues, accidents, or serious injuries, witnessing violence, neglect, or even from going through a medical procedure.

Trauma can involve a single experience, or repeated experiences, and can occur at any age and can cause long-lasting harm.

The impact of Trauma:
After trauma it is normal to experience distressing thoughts, feelings, and body sensations. Memories, Images or feelings of the trauma, and thoughts about it enter into your mind even if you try to shut them out. These experiences may be confusing, frightening and you may think I am ever going to feel any different, or may feel as if you are losing control or even, I am going mad. These are completely normal and understandable reactions to an abnormal traumatic event.

Trauma can be termed as an emotionally unresolved experience having an unstable impact on your daily lives. Many people that have experienced trauma may have struggled for years, so, it is important to reach out for support if you’re experiencing PTSD or trauma.

There are no ‘right’, or ‘wrong’, ways to react, and different people exposed to the same trauma may respond in a different way. However, below are some common trauma symptoms, you may experience some or and experience others not listed, below is how therapy can help you.

How we work with trauma:
We would complete an assessment and explore your history and how this is impacting you now. Then we would create a therapy plan for helping you to cope with your past experiences. This would enable you to cope with the emotional distress you are currently experiencing, supporting you in feeling a better sense of control. Then we could explore your reactions and feelings in a manageable manner, so that the trauma responses can no longer impact your life on a daily basis. Lastly, looking to the future with more assurance and positivity, your life has been altered due to the trauma, however, life can have new meaning and purpose, alongside the sadness, together we can explore what reclaiming your life would mean for you.

Along the way trauma therapy involves learning new tools to help you manage your trauma symptoms, this is so that you can understand what is happening to your mind and body and you would be in control through the whole process.