What is Trauma-Based Therapy?
Trauma-based therapy is a modern method of guided therapy that has become much more popular in the 21st century. If you have had a specific traumatic experience or a series of traumatic events that left a lasting impact, recent or not, that you would like help to deal with, then trauma-focused therapy could provide the support and healing you need. Trauma-based therapy uses restructuring of the initial traumatic event to bring closure to the patient during controlled, confidential therapy sessions. Are there traumatic events within your life that you are having trouble with? Here’s why trauma-based therapy is an increasingly popular option for dealing with difficult or compounded trauma, and how it can help you.
What is Trauma-Based Therapy?
Trauma-focused treatments are professional, clinical approach to the treatment of trauma-related issues. A trauma therapy session guides the patient through their traumatic events in a controlled and safe environment.
While regular therapeutic sessions focus on all other environmental factors, trauma-based therapy hand-picks events that the patient feels they need to deal with – and goes through these specific events with the help of a licensed therapist.
Patients are fully coherent during the therapy session, and they may voice their thoughts at any point during the session.
If you feel that you’d like to take your session in another direction or discuss something else, then it’s your right to do so – even if the therapist guides the rest of the consultation.
Trauma therapy is based on the principles of catharsis, which allows patients to deal with the events that happened to (or around) them in a neutral and safe environment.
Who Should Seek Trauma-Based Therapy?
Trauma therapy can be beneficial for everyone and is for people of all ages, including children and adolescents, who may struggle with the aftermath of experienced trauma.
There’s no age limit on traumatic events in our lives, and there’s no single way for one person to process traumatic events. People process their trauma in different ways, and trauma-based therapy makes room for this.
Trauma-focused therapy could be useful to you for any events that you consider traumatic, whether they are recent or whether they happened in your childhood or adolescence.
At the end of a trauma therapy session, the patient walks away from it with reassurance. That’s the point of trauma-based therapy, which is meant to examine these traumatic events in a safe environment.
Who Can Perform Trauma-Based Therapy?
The most important things you should consider when looking for a trauma therapy specialist are their qualifications and experience.
Trauma-based therapy is best when guided by a licensed therapist or psychologist. Always make sure that your therapist is licensed before you’ve booked a single session.
Trauma therapy under the guidance of a registered medical professional is safe for the patient, however, any therapy or medical advice from an unqualified person can potentially do more harm to your mental health than good.
What Does Trauma-Based Therapy Help With?
Trauma-based therapy sessions are meant to target specific events that the patient has found traumatic. For example, trauma therapy sessions might treat compounded post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Oftentimes, trauma therapy sessions are necessary after other solutions for the patient have been proven unsuccessful.
Traumatic events can go hand-in-hand with other mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression.
Trauma therapy sessions consider the ripple effect of traumatic events. The point of a trauma therapy session is to help the patient through everything associated with their trauma.
Trauma-based therapy can help give people who have experienced trauma the support network they need to move forward.
What Are Common Methods Used in Trauma-Based Therapy?
Trauma-based therapy incorporates a variety of evidence-based approaches tailored to meet the unique needs of individuals recovering from traumatic experiences. Here are some additional therapeutic methods commonly used:
- Stress Inoculation Training (SIT): Teaches coping skills to manage anxiety and emotional distress.
- Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET): Helps patients process multiple traumatic events by creating a life narrative.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Focuses on emotional regulation and building healthy relationships.
- Attachment-Based Therapy: Addresses trauma rooted in early-life experiences or disrupted relationships.
- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR): Promotes reconnection to the present moment through mindfulness and meditation.
- Art and Expressive Therapies: Allows patients to process trauma creatively through art, music, or writing.
How Can I Find a Trauma Based Therapy Expert?
If you already consult with a licensed mental health counselor, now is a great time to speak to them about trauma-based therapy – and whether it could help your sessions to progress further.
Ask your medical practitioner about the benefits of trauma therapy, and the best trauma therapy counselor in your area to get the help you deserve.
Additional Information: Recognizing and Treating Child Traumatic Stress
Blue Sky Counseling – Trauma Therapy Omaha, NE
I, Carly Spring, M.S., LIMHP, LADC, CPC, offer my specialized expertise to assist in the healing process to anyone who may be experiencing and suffering from a vast spectrum of mental health issues. Such mental health issues include behavioral problems, anxiety, depression, grief, loss, trauma, addiction issues, and life transitions. I believe strongly in applying a holistic perspective addressing your whole person not just the bits and pieces of you. Contact us with any questions or to talk with a mental health counselor in Omaha today.
