Trauma Therapy Treatment

Trauma Therapy is unique to the individual who experiences any trauma. Because trust and safety are compromised in trauma, some of the best-known means to getting back to a feeling of relative “normal” are done through use of humor, gratitude, and mindfulness-based activities. The therapy is adapted to address a variety of symptoms and there are a number of therapy modalities that exist to help clients. These include:

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) teaches us to become more aware of our thoughts and feelings about the trauma and gives positive coping skills to help us better respond to emotional triggers and reduce reactivity and impulsive behavior based on poor coping. A specific form of therapy that targets trauma is known as Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT).

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy is a phased, focused approach to treating traumatic and other symptoms by reconnecting us in a safe and measured way to the images, self-thoughts, emotions, and body sensations associated with the trauma. This allows for the natural healing powers of the brain to move toward adaptive resolution.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a specific type of talk therapy that uses a cognitive behavioral approach that emphasizes the psychosocial aspects of treatment. In other words, the focus is on talking about problem-solving, quality of life, decreasing post-traumatic stress responses, and helping to enhance our own self-respect and self-image. We work together to learn ways to move forward through mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness (how we interact with others), distress tolerance (how we survive crises in the moment), and emotion regulation.

Exposure (or In Vivo Exposure) Therapy is a form of CBT that is used to reduce the fear associated with the emotional triggers caused by the trauma.