Healing from Trauma
The impacts of traumatic events don’t simply go away over time. Once your brain, body, and soul have identified a situation as traumatic, the trauma leaves an imprint.
Trauma can occur even when you’ve not consciously identified the experience as traumatic. You might find yourself shutting down when tension rises in your relationship. You may experience shortness of breath when driving on a particular road. You may notice that you’re constantly searching for fulfillment in people and activities that are unsuitable. All are the lasting impacts of trauma. We are left changed by the trauma (or traumas) we experience.
After a trauma has been identified, you may think that talking about it in counseling or discussing it with a friend means the pain and impacts will be done with. Unfortunately, healing is not always that simple. When you experience something traumatic, it adds to your personal narrative and impacts the way you engage the world. This doesn’t have to be solely negative, but hopefully, by understanding the lasting impacts and nature of trauma, you can begin to seek healing.
How do I seek healing from trauma?
An initial reminder that healing from trauma takes time. The first step to healing after a traumatic experience is to allow yourself to name the feelings that come up for you as you think about the trauma. This often takes place in the context of a safe, therapeutic relationship with a mental health professional. In trauma-informed therapy, you can expect to name your emotions, as well as your physiological experience, brought on by thinking about the trauma. When you identify how the trauma has impacted your being, you can then explore how it has impacted your sense of self and your relationships.
In therapy, you may be asked to evaluate your feelings about the trauma as your own personal narrative continues. This can take time. When it comes to healing from trauma, the therapy and healing journey can be slow going. Some clients are ready to begin processing trauma, while some need time to build therapeutic rapport, coping skills, regulation skills, and safety in their personal life before the processing can begin.
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Healing Takes Time
Eventually, throughout therapy, you will progress and find yourself living more in the present. The trauma will impact your daily life and functioning less and less. Don’t be alarmed if you experience reminders of the trauma and you are processing it once more. This is expected! Again, healing takes time.
With each stage of life, the way you process past trauma may evolve. Hopefully, you will be able to retell your trauma narrative with more and more resiliency and ease as you enter each chapter of life. It doesn’t help to dismiss the trauma nor does it help when you belittle yourself for still having strong feelings about the trauma. Allow yourself to reevaluate the experience as you grow.
Here at Atlanta Wellness Collective, we want to help. For support, contact us or request an appointment online.
This blog post was written by Danielle Dunkley, PhD, LPC, NCC, ACS.
Disclaimer: This blog is not intended to substitute professional therapeutic advice. Talk with your healthcare provider about your health concerns and before starting or stopping therapies. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct professional advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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