Trauma Therapy: Why You Can’t Just “Shake it Off”
So much of trauma is what happens after the event is over. Trauma rewires your brain, and it can make it difficult to understand or explain what you experienced. Trauma could be bullying, sexual assault, war, surviving a natural disaster, a traumatic birth, an accident, abuse; the list goes on and on. And often those who experienced trauma and survived experience “survivor’s guilt.” If you’ve gone through something like this, trauma therapy may be extremely beneficial for you.
What Trauma Really Does to the Brain
Bessel van der Kolk (2014) in his groundbreaking book The Body Keeps the Score, wrote that trauma is stored in your body, as well as your mind. The stress from a traumatic event can change how your brain operates, particularly in areas like the amygdala (the alarm center) and the hippocampus (the memory storage unit). This means your brain can get stuck in a perpetual state of fight-or-flight, making even everyday situations feel like life-or-death scenarios. This is what we call “hypervigilance” and may explain why you’re constnatly on alert and scanning for danger 24/7 - even if you’re at home watching your favorite show.
A 2013 study published in Molecular Psychiatry found that trauma shrinks the hippocampus, which is responsible for processing memories and emotions. When this part of the brain doesn’t work correctly it’s like your body hits the “panic button” more often than it should, even when there’s no actual danger. So when you’re feeling anxious in a totally safe situation, it’s not “in your head”—it’s a biological response to unresolved trauma.
The Hidden Toll of Trauma
Trauma is sneaky and while it may show up as flashbacks or nightmares, it doesn’t always. It can look like numbing behaviors, overeating, feeling disconnected, explosive anger or shutting down. When you’ve experienced trauma, you may feel trapped and overwhelmed and believe there is no way out.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) estimates that 61% of men and 51% of women in the U.S. have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. With a number that high, you are not alone in what you’re going through!
Trauma Therapy: What It Does & Why It’s Not Scary
Now that we’ve established that trauma is a bit of a sneaky saboteur, let’s talk about how trauma therapy can help you take your life back. Spoiler: it’s not just about rehashing all your worst memories over and over again. Trauma therapy is designed to help you process those experiences in a way that makes them lose their hold over you.
Different methods work for different people, but one of the most effective forms of trauma therapy is EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Sounds fancy, right? Basically, EMDR helps your brain reprocess traumatic memories so they’re not as overwhelming. A 2013 study in the Journal of EMDR Practice and Research found that 77% of people treated with EMDR for PTSD experienced significant improvement after just six sessions. So, this isn’t a “let’s talk for years and maybe feel better” situation. This is a targeted, scientifically-backed method that’s proven to work.
But that’s not the only option. Trauma therapy can also involve cognitive-behavioral techniques, somatic therapy (to help release trauma stored in the body), and mindfulness practices. The goal is to help you heal rather than just cope, so you can live your life without the constant shadow of your past hanging over you.
In fact, the American Psychological Association (2017) reported that people who seek therapy for trauma not only experience reduced symptoms but also report feeling more in control of their lives again. Therapy helps you put those traumatic experiences in the past, where they belong, so you can focus on the present—and the future.
Trauma Therapy Helps Regain Control
Trauma doesn’t have to define you, and it doesn’t have to be a life sentence. Trauma therapy is about reclaiming your life and healing in a way that makes those past experiences just that—past experiences. Whether you’re dealing with the aftermath of childhood trauma, a single traumatic event, or years of unresolved pain, therapy offers a path to recovery that doesn’t involve ignoring the problem or just hoping it’ll go away.
So, if you’ve been living with trauma and it feels like it’s got a tight grip on your life, there’s no better time to seek help. Because you deserve to feel whole, not haunted.
Interested in Learning How We Can Help?
Sources:
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. New York: Viking.
Samuelson, K. W., et al. (2013). "Stress, Trauma, and the Hippocampus." Molecular Psychiatry.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2014). “Behavioral Health Trends in the United States.”
Journal of EMDR Practice and Research. (2013). “EMDR and the Treatment of PTSD: A Review of Evidence.”
American Psychological Association. (2017). “Trauma and Therapy: How It Helps.”
