The Art of Treating Trauma

There are different types of therapy when treating trauma. PTSD therapy has three main goals, improve your symptoms, teach you skills to deal with it, and restore your self-esteem. Most PTSD therapies fall under the cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). This therapy is to change the thought patterns that are disturbing your life.

Here are a few different types of therapy you can get for trauma

Cognitive processing therapy

At first, you will talk about the traumatic event with your therapist and how your thoughts relating to it have impacted your life. Then, you will write in detail what happened. This allows you to examine how you think about your trauma. It also helps you figure out new ways on how to deal with it.

Prolonged exposure therapy

This is for people who have been avoiding things that remind you of the traumatic event. PE will help you confront them.

Your therapist will teach you breathing techniques to ease your anxiety when you think about what happened early in the sessions. You will then make a list of the things you have been avoiding and then learn how to face each one. In another session, you will explain the traumatic experience to your therapist again, then go home and listen to a recording of yourself.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing

With this therapy, you may not have to tell your therapist about your experience. Instead, you concentrate on it while you watch or listen to something they’re doing. They could be something like moving a hand or flashing a light.  The goal of this is to think of something positive which you remember from your trauma.

Stress Inoculation Training

SIT is a type of CBT. You can do it alone or in a group. You will not have to go into detail about what happened. The goal is to change how you deal with stress from the event.  

There are massage and breathing techniques that you may learn. There are other ways to stop negative thoughts by relaxing your mind and body.

Treating trauma truly is an art, and The Houston Foundation Inc. is here to help. Reach out to us for more information.