Effective Strategies for Healing from Trauma
Humans are highly emotional beings and we tend to feel a lot of emotions in our lives. Every tiny feeling that our sub-conscious acknowledges is a memory that is stored for later perusal. If you are exposed to traumatic events at a young age- it can be in any form, there is a lasting impact on how your brain will function. Traumatic events can cause you to shut down and feel depressed for a really long period of time, or you may feel better in a shorter period of time. Dealing with emotional trauma of any kind can cause you to lose sleep, make you feel hypervigilant, or you may have intrusive thoughts which are negative or bad for your mood. You may not be able to concentrate properly and may have crazy mood swings too.
How To Heal From Trauma Fast
This is a question everyone asks at one point of time or the other, but there is nothing ‘quick’ or ‘fast’ about dealing with trauma. There is no right way to deal with it either, as each and every one of us has unique coping mechanisms that we will use to feel better. Since trauma affects two major parts of your brain- the hippocampus where memories are stored and the amygdala- which is the emotional seat of the brain, you may have to deal with trauma many years later, because of a trigger or a familiar memory that may come along in some form. Working on your trauma over a long period of time is the best way to move forward, once and for all. It all begins with acknowledging that you did, legitimately have to deal with something disturbing, instead of glossing over the fact that it never happened in the first place. While healing is not going to be quick, learning to calm down in a tense moment can be learned and applied almost immediately.
Effective Trauma Healing Techniques
To feel better in a few moments, after being exposed to a bad trigger, you need to learn about ‘grounding’ techniques. These are designed to bring you back to the present moment and can halt intrusive thoughts from having a field day in your brain. Some very well known grounding techniques include- counting how long you take to inhale and exhale, counting objects that are present around you, moving your eyes from one side to the other and concentrating on the movement itself or even clutching an ice cube tightly- the ice cold sensation will jolt your brain into a different rhythm. Going for CBT, exposure therapy or trauma-focused therapy can help in the long run.
Step-By-Step Trauma Recovery Plan
Recovering from trauma takes time and this means it happens in various steps or phases. The phases can generally be divided into 3 parts, though how much time you spend in each phase is highly individualistic and it is not always easy to differentiate between them easily.
- Phase 1– To work to establish a safe space and achieve a form of stability- this is by creating a warm environment, getting in touch with supportive friends and learning more about self-care. Grounding techniques can be learned here.
- Phase 2- Processing the Traumatic Memories- this is the hardest part, but here, with the help of a therapist and in a safe, controlled environment, you will be asked to explore and understand the traumatic event you were exposed to before. Since trauma can cause negative associations to last for a long time, you need to actively break that routine by reframing every thought that comes and goes in your brain. You can think of this as actively rewiring how your brain works.
- Phase 3- The last phase is when you have processed the trauma enough to understand that it will no longer have a hold on you. You will feel at ease and will try to get back to a normal routine that you cherished. You have to however remember to lean on your support system and continue using everything you have learned during therapy- so that you continue to feel better and function well.
Trauma occurs when you are physically, mentally and emotionally affected in some manner, due to a particular event or set of events. There was a lot of stigma associated with getting help before, but these days, the availability of online trauma support services has become a boon for many people. Affordable trauma counseling has also ensured that more people get the help they need. At SBJI, we believe that addressing trauma can be hard, but it needs to be done if you want to move forward in life and not feel left behind. After all, you only live once and you need to do it well right?
Frequently Asked Questions
Emotional trauma occurs when you have dealt with a distressing event and can cause your brain to make memories that last for a long time. Every time a specific trigger occurs, the bad memories flood in and you get paralysed, feel withdrawn, depressed or have other symptoms too.
Many people who have had traumatic experiences tend to forget them or bury them deep and try not to think about it, but when a trigger comes along, the flood of bad feelings and memories rush out. So, to acknowledge means you tell yourself that YES, you dealt with a traumatic event and once you have done that, you can move to the next steps of processing it.
Self care can involve indulging in your favourite hobbies, actively distancing yourself from triggers and going to therapy regularly. Meditation and trying to have a set routine everyday which works for you- like getting exercise, eating well and sleeping enough is also good.
Yes and when this happens, it can be termed PTSD- post traumatic stress disorder, though this may not always be true.
Your support system needs to be a safe space and should be non-judgemental. They should be open to listening to whatever you have to say and they shouldn’t feel the need to interject or impose their opinion on you. They should also be ready to support you however necessary.