What Is Chronic Trauma Therapy?

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Life’s journey can be a vastly changing rollercoaster of emotions when dealing with a traumatic experience, sometimes testing our ability to handle stress. However, the impact resonates much more profoundly for those facing chronic trauma and drastically affects their lives. The word “trauma” doesn’t do justice to the overwhelming intensity they experience.

Choosing the right path to healing can be vital for anyone confronted with trauma. One area of hope for individuals experiencing this is chronic trauma therapy – a powerful tool that provides a sustainable way to understand better and repair their emotional state. With empathy and support, chronic trauma therapy offers the chance for individuals to rebuild and regain their inner balance, leading to a brighter, healthier future.

What is Chronic Trauma?

There are many different types of trauma an individual could experience in their life, ranging in how long and intense they last. Chronic trauma is a type of trauma that happens when someone has prolonged or repeated exposure to physical or mental psychological events. These events can include but aren’t limited to:

Physical or sexual abuse
Violent acts
Natural disasters
War
Life changing events
Loss of a loved one

Chronic trauma doesn’t have to happen directly to an individual, as witnessing someone else’s traumatic experiences can also create a form of chronic trauma.

How Does Chronic Trauma Affect Someone’s Life?

Chronic trauma can have far-reaching physical, psychological, behavioral, and social consequences for individuals experiencing it. This can include:

Insomnia
Night Terrors
Severe Migraines
Chronic Pain
Substance Abuse Problems
Isolation From Others

The emotional effects of chronic trauma can be even more damaging than the physical ones. People who have experienced this type of trauma struggle with feelings such as depression, anxiety, fear, guilt, or shame. They may also experience difficulty trusting others or forming relationships due to the betrayal they felt from the traumatic events. It is common for those suffering from chronic trauma to also struggle with flashbacks or intrusive thoughts related to their past experiences.

The effects of chronic trauma can be incredibly debilitating and stop someone from living a happy, fulfilled life. But with strategic and effective therapy, it doesn’t have to stay that way.

Chronic trauma can be powerful, but individuals don’t have to face it alone. Chronic trauma therapy offers hope and healing for those who are struggling with the effects of prolonged traumatic experiences. By providing a secure space where emotions are explored without judgment, this treatment also helps teach new coping skills and empowers survivors in every area of their life.

There are various types of chronic trauma therapy, each tailored to the specific needs of the individual. Interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), psychodynamic therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and mindfulness-based therapies are commonly used and highly successful. Sometimes, a combination of these may be recommended based on the severity of the individual’s trauma.

When starting any type of treatment, a structured approach is essential as it provides the patient with a predictable framework to help the individual cope with their trauma long-term. Following a structured approach also allows therapists to track progress over time which helps them adjust their treatment plan accordingly.

How Can Individuals Benefit from Chronic Trauma Therapy?

Trauma therapy can provide you with powerful tools to process your emotions, build resilience and create a healthier relationship between yourself and your past traumatic experiences. Below are a few of the benefits that come from chronic trauma therapy:

A Safe Space for Healing

One of the most important aspects of chronic trauma therapy is the creation of a safe space for healing. For too many people, chronic trauma takes over nearly all aspects of their life, controlling their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Trauma therapy gives us a dedicated space where individuals impacted by trauma can take an active role in their healing journey and focus solely on understanding and processing emotions without judgment or interruption. With the help of an experienced trauma therapist, this space allows traumatized individuals to explore their feelings at their own pace in a safe environment.

Developing New Coping Mechanisms

Chronic trauma therapy has the potential to equip individuals with powerful tools for overcoming their deepest fears and obstacles. Under the compassionate guidance of skilled psychotherapists, traumatized individuals can learn healing practices like relaxation techniques, deep breathing exercises, mindfulness, and emotional regulation skills.

These strategies will help them face and conquer the emotions tied to their trauma and serve as a protection against everyday stress, empowering them to reclaim their self-confidence and self-esteem with time and practice.

Building Resilience and Self-Empowerment

Healing from trauma is no easy task, but the proper support and resources can lead to immense growth in resilience and self-empowerment. Through engaging, talk therapy sessions that aim for an individualized approach and access to tailored tools and knowledge specific to each person’s unique journey, those impacted by trauma are better equipped for future stressors, translating into greater peace within themselves than before.

Get The Treatment You Deserve

Living a life with reoccurring trauma isn’t something anyone should go through. That’s why it’s essential that if you’re experiencing chronic trauma, you get the support and treatment you deserve. But what’s the first step for anyone experiencing this debilitating condition? Help is closer than you think.

At Healing Foundations Center, we offer professional mental health expertise to help individuals find healing and gain insight into trauma or the symptoms of a mental illness such as depression, bipolar disorder, or anxiety. However, our services don’t just extend to major traumas and severe medical conditions.

We also provide tools for difficult life circumstances such as the death of a loved one, divorce hardships, and unemployment stresses. Utilizing our experience in this field, combined with innovative technologies, helps ensure you receive the necessary resources for recovery.