Trauma is a highly complex condition that can have a profound, lifelong impact on the emotional, mental, and even physical health of the individual living with it. Trauma can result from a nearly infinite range of events, spanning physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, even living through natural disasters and serious accidents can cause trauma. In many cases, an individual may not even need to be directly involved in the incident, and merely witnessing something horrific can create trauma in the witness.
If you or someone you love has been living with trauma, it can make each day a fight for normality and trigger avoidance, but no matter what, there will always be hope. Evidence-based holistic treatment options can help you reclaim your life from your past. Here is more information about the best practices for trauma treatment, as well as an overview of which therapy is recommended for the treatment of trauma.
What Are The Best Practices For Trauma Treatment?
It’s difficult to determine the best practices for trauma treatment, in a more general sense. When treating trauma, the best practices for trauma treatment will depend on the individual’s unique needs and circumstances. In general, the biggest thing to remember is not to create more trauma and to respect the needs of the individual.
This means avoiding using triggering language and similar measures. For example, someone dealing with sexual trauma may not want to reference sexual acts at all, as the verbiage could be triggering.
Which Therapy Is Recommended For The Treatment Of Trauma?
No one best therapy is recommended for the treatment of trauma, however, some types are used more commonly than others, and are found to be more effective in general, than other types.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive-behavioral therapy, also known as CBT, is a type of psychotherapy or talk therapy that is used to help individuals pinpoint and change negative thoughts and behavior patterns. It is commonly used to help treat trauma because it is great for developing effective coping strategies and helping patients learn how to deal with the occurrence of negative thoughts and beliefs. CBT treatments are usually structured and short, lasting an average of about 14 sessions.
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a relatively new form of therapy that involves using eye movements or other forms of bilateral brain stimulation to help individuals process traumatic memories or emotions in a safe and comfortable environment. Thinking about the traumatic incident while the therapy is ongoing helps the brain process the trauma while reducing emotional sensitivity to the subject. It is usually delivered over several sessions, where the individual is guided to perform the needed movements while focusing on the traumatic memory.
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, often shortened to TF-CBT, is a subtype of cognitive-behavioral therapy that is designed specifically for use with children or adolescents that have experienced trauma. This is another short-term therapy that is typically held for a period of between 8 and 25 sessions and can often include play therapy and family therapy.
Casa Recovery Offers Individualized Trauma-Informed Care
Casa Recovery understands that healing isn’t always linear and that a history of trauma can complicate things immensely. The impact of trauma on your mental and emotional well-being means that you should not put off getting professional help if you or someone you love has been living with trauma. No matter what your treatment needs are, Casa Recovery is here to help. Reach out today to discuss your needs with a member of our team, and start your trauma-informed care today.