Trauma Therapy
There is no minimum amount of physical or emotional pain required for something to be considered traumatic. It can be a result of something happening to you one time or multiple times. It can even exist if the difficult experience was witnessed or happened to someone close to you. If you find yourself feeling anxious, on edge, insecure, overwhelmed, numb, irritable, angry or a number of other things, you may be experiencing an effect of trauma. For more details on what trauma entails, read this blog post.
Common Types of Trauma
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Parents divorced or separated, caregiver in jail or deployed, any type of abuse or neglect, lack of food, homelessness, death of a family member, witnessing abuse, relocation, bullying, medical procedures, natural disaster, war
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Unexpected accident, sexual assault, burglary, death of a loved one, job loss, medical procedure, car crash
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Discovery of infidelity, hidden pornography use, secret phones or bank accounts, other lies and deception including gaslighting, criticism, and blame. More information here.
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Shame and fear as motivation strategies, rejection and criticism for questioning teachings or leadership, discouragement of critical thinking, rigid gender roles, any type of abuse in a religious setting or context, major consequences for deviating from expected behaviors and procedures, deemed unworthy due to identity, beliefs, preferences, etc. More information here.
Typical Treatment Methods
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Internal Family Systems Theory (IFS)
Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Other helpful skills include mindfulness, self-compassion, assertiveness, boundary setting, emotional regulation