PTSD

Some issues that can often be traced back to trauma (although they might also be caused by something else) include mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, rumination and compulsive overthinking, difficulty making decisions, sleep disturbances, low energy, low motivation in life, feeling easily irritated, difficulty forming healthy relationships or maintaining employment, or an overarching sense of struggling in life without understanding what’s wrong or how to resolve it.

Trauma and PTSD

Symptoms

Diminished ability to function in everyday life

Trauma disrupts your capacity to learn and process information, as you instinctively switch to survival mode when your sense of safety is threatened. While you’re trying to survive, it’s a good thing that your thought process shifts gears to ensure your safety. But when you’re finally out of harm’s way, it can be hard to heal the neurological rift that’s been created by the trauma and to continue functioning effectively in the world.

Mental health challenges

Trauma is also strongly correlated with mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, phobias, and ADHD. The effects of trauma interfere with executive functioning skills, such as your ability to prioritize, manage your time effectively, stick to a healthy routine, and maintain professional employment.

Trauma encourages unhealthy behaviors

Broad-reaching psychoanalytic research confirms the association between exposure to trauma and the development of dysfunctional and uncontrolled behaviors.

“Dysfunctional avoidance” refers to the attempt to avoid having to deal with unpleasant and discomforting experiences associated with numerous types of interpersonal trauma. This leads to an increased propensity to engage in substance abuse and problematic or self-injurious behaviors (including suicidal ideation and sexual risk-taking) while reducing the capacity to self-regulate injurious behaviors.

If you struggle with unhealthy compulsions or behaviors relating to food, sex, substances, or technology, unresolved trauma might play a significant role in your struggle. Fortunately, working to heal your trauma very often also heals the source of your behaviors, which makes it drastically easier to start changing your behaviors.

Physical health ramifications of trauma

In addition to lifestyle and behavioral challenges, poor physical health is often a result of trauma. Interpersonal trauma exposure is strongly associated with poorer physical health. 

Children exposed to trauma are at increased risk of developing cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular issues, obesity, stroke, and substance use disorders, in addition to mental health issues.

Causes and risk factors

The chances of developing  PTSD or other problematic responses to trauma may be  affected by:

• Hereditary and environmental variables. 
• Repeated exposure to traumatic events.
• Feeling helpless during traumatic events.

Treatment for trauma

Fortunately, there are multiple effective treatments for trauma available for adults and children. Trauma-aware therapy can be an important part of recovery.

Your therapist may suggest:

• Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR) for PTSD desensitizes clients to their trauma memory by having them recall and relive the experience in a therapeutic setting. As they remember the event, their therapist will utilize bilateral stimulation of the brain (using lights, sounds, and/or tapping) to assist with reprocessing the memory.
• Comprehensive Resource Model (CRM) begins with the therapist using a guided imagery protocol and breathwork to assist clients in connecting with their sacred place. These connections are made to the spiritual being, spirit, animal, or force of nature that supports them throughout the process. Trauma work can begin once these connections develop. The aspects of the client that seemingly carry the pain related to the specific event will be asked to share their story. Physical and emotional reactions or memories that arise are observed with curiosity. Layers of supportive resources help the person step into the root of their trauma, allowing them to fully experience, process, and release it while recognizing new truths.
• Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) proposes that each of us possess a Self that is the true essence of who we are and Parts that fall into three categories–Exiles, Managers, and Firefighters. Respectively, these parts carry the pain of trauma, enact defenses to protect from the pain, and resort to extreme measures to protect against pain when the Exiles break through the Managers’ defenses. The goal of IFS is to assist a person in connecting with the Self, allowing them to understand more about the Managers and Firefighters who seek to protect them and the pain of the Exiles. The Exiles’ pain is released through Self-led efforts, and healthy interaction between the parts can resume, resulting in significantly reduced PTSD symptoms.
• Trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT) is another type of CBT designed specifically for addressing trauma in children and adolescents. However, this approach has since been expanded to include adults and families. TF-CBT can be offered both individually or in groups and is facilitated by therapists who take a trauma-informed approach. TF-CBT will typically focus on providing psychoeducation about trauma and stabilizing symptoms through relaxation and coping skills. The telling and cognitive processing of a client’s trauma story will allow them to integrate that story into their history rather than their present.
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) was initially developed for the treatment of depression but can also be used for addressing anxiety disorders, relationship issues, low self-esteem, and trauma. CBT is based on the premise that our thoughts and behaviors are interwoven–meaning that changes in thought patterns can facilitate behavioral improvements. CBT targets maladaptive behaviors and beliefs that cause distress and impair the ability to function. Trauma survivors often develop extremely negative beliefs about themselves, others, and the world. In CBT, a therapist works with clients to help them learn how to identify, assess, and modify negative perceptions and actions that result in unnecessary distress.
• Cognitive processing therapy (CPT) is a form of CBT developed specifically to treat trauma. CPT is a structured approach that typically occurs over 12 sessions and includes both psychoeducation and the development of coping skills. A therapist will delve into how trauma affects the mind and body, both during and after the event. They will then use cognitive restructuring to help the individual identify, assess, challenge, and change rigid, maladaptive thoughts related to the trauma.
• Prolonged exposure therapy (PE) is a form of exposure therapy used to address PTSD avoidance behaviors. Trauma survivors typically avoid reminders of their trauma to protect themselves from overwhelming fear and pain. Unfortunately, doing so only further reinforces fear. Throughout treatment, the therapist employs systematic desensitization techniques through prolonged exposure to stressful trauma cues, leading to symptom dissipation. More specifically, a therapist will teach clients relaxation and grounding techniques to use when exposed to distressing reminders (via imagination and/or in real-world situations). Thus, a person can learn that these memories do not pose a danger to them and do not need to be avoided.
• Brief Eclectic Therapy (BET) combines aspects of CBT with psychodynamic therapy to best meet the needs of a client. Throughout treatment, a person will learn about trauma and how to employ relaxation exercises during a session while discussing their trauma. They may be asked to bring in items that remind them of the event to help them better recall it when prompted. The final sessions focus on how the trauma has affected a client and what they learned from it.
• Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is a short-term approach specifically used for survivors of complex trauma and can be provided individually or in small groups. It centers on assisting a client in creating an account of how their trauma has been and is currently impacting their life as a way to reclaim their identity and story. A compassionate therapist supports an individual in writing a chronological story of their life that includes both traumatic and positive life events. As one tells their trauma story, they will be asked to notice their thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations in the present moment. When their story is concluded, the therapist will present them with a documented autobiography.
• Exposure therapy is a CBT technique for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Exposure therapy focuses on tackling the worries underlying an anxiety condition in order to assist individuals in engaging in activities they have been avoiding. Sometimes, exposure treatment is combined with relaxation exercises.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) employs mindfulness, goal-setting, and other strategies to alleviate discomfort and anxiety.