Trauma

              Trauma and what can be a trauma response has exploded across social media. People are self-diagnosing trauma and seeking answers for why they behave or respond the way that they do. When I put out my own call on social media for what kind of content people would like to see, one of the responses I got time and time again is “how to work through trauma”. Because working through trauma is so personal, we’re going to get into a more general overview of what trauma is, how is might show up, and what to look for in your quest to feel differently.

Let’s start with the basics. What is trauma and how does it look. This is something that is surprisingly contested throughout the mental health community and larger society. The current actual definition of trauma or a traumatic event as outlined in the DSM-V is something that requires “actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence”. Super limited, right? Now, in the mental health community, we find that the responses that are typical of trauma are found as a result of experiences that may not meet that limited definition of trauma and we’ll often speak about things in terms of big “T” trauma (things that meet the official definition) and little “t” trauma (things that may not meet the definition of trauma but elicit similar responses).

As to what trauma, or a response to trauma rather, can look like, this can be incredibly personal and varied so for the sake of this post, we’re going to stick with the behaviors associated with a formal diagnosis of PTSD. These behaviors include but are not limited to**:

·        Recurrent, involuntary and intrusive distressing memories

·        Recurrent distressing dreams related in content or affect to the traumatic event

·        Dissociative reactions (like flashbacks)

·        Intense and/or prolonged distress at the exposure to internal or external cues that resemble/symbolize an aspect of the trauma or traumatic event

·        Avoidance/efforts to avoid triggers associated with the event

·        Inability to remember aspects of traumatic event

·        Persistent and exaggerated negative beliefs or expectations about oneself others or the world

·        Persistent distorted cognitions about the cause or consequence of the event

·        Persistent fear/horror/anger/guilt/shame

·        Diminished interest/participation in significant activities

·        Feels of detachment or estrangement from others

·        Persistent inability to experience positive emotions

·        Irritability

·        Recklessness/self-destructive behavior

·        Hypervigilance

·        Exaggerated startle response

·        Problems with concentration

·        Sleep disturbance

**this is purely for educational purposes and is not to be used for diagnosis

As you can see from these potential behaviors, trauma has the potential to touch almost every part of your life. There are also responses to trauma which make it challenging to opt into processing your trauma and working through it. If you or someone you love is dealing with the impact of trauma, have empathy and grace for yourself and your loved one. It is more than “just go to therapy”. To get from the traumatic event to a place where you even feel ready to start working through it takes a tremendous amount of emotional work. You are doing your best no matter where you are in that process. That said, processing through your trauma has the ability to give you your life back and can be incredibly transformative for your life.

To that end, if you’re ready to start processing trauma, what would be valuable to look for? First, I cannot recommend working with a skilled, certified professional enough. Allowing yourself to revisit your trauma is a big deal and you are worthy of having someone who excels in this work to walk alongside you as you navigate this. The current gold-standard modalities (although certainly not the only modalities) to treat trauma are EMDR and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. In your search, it is valuable to look for providers certified in either of these modalities as a starting point. Most importantly, find a therapist who you trust and feel like cares about you. That is the biggest predictor of success in therapy. Don’t feel like you have to jump into your trauma day one if you’re not totally ready to do that . It’s okay to work to feel like comfortable with your provider and build a relationship before delving into the deepest parts of you.

              If you think you might be dealing with the impact of a traumatic event, you are worthy of getting your life back. If you’re thinking you might be ready to start that journey, click the button below and I will be happy to help point you in a good direction.