You don't have to live with shame, dissociation, or numbness.
Most people will experience at least one traumatic event In their lifetime and this can leave significant lasting impacts on mental and Physical wellbeing. Trauma – informed therapy can help.
What is Trauma Informed Therapy?
Trauma-informed therapy is unique from other forms of therapy in that it’s not a specific framework or set of techniques, but rather a lens through which to view and support clients.
Trauma-informed therapy approaches can be applied to any form of therapy, and it can greatly help clients with a history of trauma see more success in their sessions. It fosters an environment of safety and care so clients can open up at their own pace and gradually conquer any obstacles that are preventing them from overcoming their mental health concerns.
Trauma-informed therapy can be beneficial or at least harmless for anyone, but is generally integral for traumatized patients to feel secure enough to make progress in a therapeutic setting.
At Supportive Therapy, we work to create a safe environment by prioritizing emotional boundaries, self-care, and relaxation techniques, as well as gently addressing trauma in a skillful manner. Clients will learn healthy coping mechanisms and self-compassion which can allow them to finally move on from whatever past experiences are impacting their wellbeing.
How Does Trauma-Informed Therapy Work?
Trauma-informed therapy looks slightly different for every practitioner, but there are a few basic elements that remain the same. High-quality trauma-informed care will first establish physical and emotional safety for the client before moving on to the heavy lifting of addressing difficult subjects.
When the client is ready to open up to their therapist, trauma-informed therapists will use a collaborative and transparent approach. This instills a sense of safety in the client and allows them to better understand and actively participate in the process of reprocessing traumatic moments.
At Supportive Therapy, we prioritize competency on the part of the therapist, an essential component of trauma informed therapy. Our therapists are educated on the latest research and best practices for trauma so they can offer their client treatment grounded in evidence. Special consideration for cultural context may also be needed.
These four elements: safety, collaboration, transparency, and competency lay the groundwork for addressing trauma in an effective way for long-lasting change.
Is Trauma - Informed Therapy Right For Me?
Trauma is a term that’s often thrown around colloquially, so it can be challenging to decipher what events have truly devastating impacts and which ones are relatively harmless. Further complicating this question is the fact that everyone responds to traumatic experiences differently. What may be life-altering for one person may be fairly trivial to someone else.
The best way to determine if trauma-informed therapy is right for you is to identify if you have any symptoms of trauma that are impacting your wellbeing. This could be trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, irritability, intrusive thoughts or images, fatigue, experiencing frequent trauma triggers, depression, anxiety, dissociation or a general feeling of numbness.
The 5th Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders(DMS-5) classifies trauma as “exposure to actual or threatened events involving death, serious injury, or sexual violation” either through direct experience, witnessing these events, learning of these events happening to loved ones, or experiencing excessive exposure to traumatizing details of these sorts of events.
Knowledge of traumatic experience under this definition can be another good reason to seek out trauma-informed therapy.
It is however important to note that individuals can experience impacts of trauma when events may not fall within the definition under the DSM-5. Over and consistent exposure to certain negatively perceived events and experiences can leave an individual experiencing the same symptoms as noted above. It is important not to dismiss your own definition of trauma as “not severe enough” or “worse things have happened to other people” to either get ahead of the impacts or to process any lasting effects that may be disruptive to your life. Each individual experience is valid regardless of what others may have gone through.
How Can Trauma - Informed Therapy Help?
An unaddressed history of trauma can have a persistent and insidious effect on one’s life. It’s not only linked to mental health issues and self-destructive behaviours but also chronic health conditions. Taking the courageous step towards seeking therapeutic help can allow clients to reclaim their stories and recover parts of themselves that may have been missing for years.
Trauma-informed therapy can allow patients to better understand themselves and feel less alone in their experience. This may reduce feelings of guilt and increase self-compassion. Our therapists are also well-trained to identify and correct distorted thoughts around past events that are causing distress.
As trauma-informed therapy progresses, therapists will usually help clients begin to do work around narrative processing and integration. This is a more direct approach to resolving mental health struggles stemming from trauma, and it can be uncomfortable at times. However, like pulling a splinter out of a wound, it allows clients to truly heal from their past and create a bright new future for themselves.
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Are you ready to make a positive change? Our online therapists are here to help you navigate life’s challenges. Request a free consultation now to get started.