What Is Trauma?

The Importance Of Trauma Counseling

 

When you experience traumatic stress, typically followed by a hardening process known as “defense mechanism” in which emotions are blocked out via thoughts or actions.

You may have heard about the root cause (s) of your injury/illness? Well, that was only knowledge acquired through experiencing pain and suffering.

However, what if we told you there is another way to learn something new…that could be called learning from experiences, but does not include the feeling of fear or shock you might have after experiencing an accident or illness.

This part of our program focuses on how to integrate emotion into decision-making. It moves beyond thinking just facts, like allergy pills, diet tips and prescription drugs. We will explore pathways that lead to resilience and strength-not just vulnerability.

My hope for this section is that you find some meaningful tools to help you navigate these difficult waters.

That becomes the baseline for a balanced life.

There are several approaches to therapy, and they all work differently. You can see both online and in person therapists to address any mental health issue.

It is also important to consult friends and family members. They can offer emotional support and help you stay connected with people you care about.

 

Trauma Is Defined As A Disruption To The Mind’s Normal Functioning

A trauma occurs when someone experiences something extraordinarily stressful or disturbing, potentially damaging to health, self-esteem, and/or social relationships. The extreme stress hormone levels and heart rate may be harmful to an individual’s physical body and brain.

 

Examples Of Trauma Include But Are Not Limited To: Accidents, Abuse, And Violence

Even when societies are relatively stable and people have enough resources, they can still be affected by trauma.

This can be through experiencing life-threatening situations or due to injury or harm caused by others.

Some examples include children who witness violent scenes on the news; adults who work in dangerous industries (like mining) or who serve in war zones; victims of domestic violence; and survivors of natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfire.

Also written as traumatic experience is one occasion where an individual fears she will never escape from what feels like imminent danger. It is the feeling of dread that lingers even after the situation has been escaped.

Traumatic experiences are usually both unpleasant and lasting. The first person effect category includes things such as fear, anxiety, embarrassment, shame, and guilt.The second type consists of emotional symptoms such as depression, anger, devastation, resentment, and confusion.

 

Trauma Causes Physical, Mental, And Spiritual Damage

Physical trauma involves injury or harm to the body, such as medical conditions like diabetes, HIV/AIDs, hypothyroidism, chronic pain, cancer, car accidents, domestic violence, fires, bites, and poisoning.

It can also involve injuries caused by excessive exercise, too much food, drug abuse, caffeine, alcohol, or stress.

This type of trauma makes the person feel weak or unresponsive. They may have trouble sleeping, are often irritable, and seek comfort from others.

After a traumatic event, these feelings last longer than usual. The person may be anxious or upset for weeks, months, or years after the event.

Psychological trauma is similar in that the individual experiences devastating nightmares, obsessive thoughts, depression, anxiety, or intense anger. A traumatic experience can affect an individual long term even if the symptoms fade within a few days.

Spiritual trauma happens when someone feels guilty about something terrible they experienced, sometimes related to their religion. This feeling breaks down trust in God and other people, which includes doubts about actions you took and beliefs you held.

These sorts of things aren’t easy to deal with, but it’s important that you do. Otherwise, you could suffer emotional fallout for years.

 

A Trauma Counselor Helps You Navigate Through Trauma

You may feel overwhelmed at first. The experience of grief is universal, no matter what culture or religion you are in.

You will also probably be anxious about things going on in your life.

Your mind can become distracted with worries and panic attacks. It’s important to recognize that this is normal and something you should work on.

There are many ways to help you cope with grief. Counseling is usually a best choice for helping you process pain.

Healing does not happen quickly, but it can eventually lead to shorter term effects such as depression and anxiety.

If you need someone to talk to, there are often others who have been through similar experiences. Don’t isolate yourself.

Surround yourself with people that make you laugh and smile. In addition to providing emotional support, spending time with fun individuals can also contribute to a better mood.

Consider joining a social club or group related to your interest (like football or ballet clubs). Find other folks who share your interests and skills and learn how to meet them.

These kinds of groups provide opportunities to create lasting friendships. They are typically safe places to ask questions and take steps to connect with other people.

 

Look For A Trauma Counselor Or Therapist

You can call your local school district to see if there is a psychologist available through psychotherapy. Sometimes it’s easy to just talk to someone about a problem, other times you will need to make an appointment with a professional expert.

Either way, you should try to get into therapy as soon as possible. Studies show that psychological help from a trained professional reduces pain and improves outcomes.

You may not feel like you have much time to prepare now, but emergencies don’t always happen at eight o’clock in the morning when people are getting out of bed. Prepare by doing some research and finding a good therapist in your area. Make an appointment and ask how they could help you right away.

If you aren’t able to visit a mental health professional, you can also consider becoming a certified psychology assistant (CPA). CPAs are great individuals who work part-time to accomplish goals while being aware of their strengths and weaknesses.

By having strong goal setting and self-awareness, users can complete tasks more effectively. This helps users manage stress and create opportunities for growth. CPAs are required to take courses including crisis intervention, cognitive behavioral treatment, peer support, spiritual assessment, and human sexuality.

 

The Different Roles Of Trauma Counselors

There are many different types of therapists to help you cope with grief, pain, anxiety, or stress. A trauma counselor is someone who can help you process your emotions after a difficult experience.

You may see a therapist or psychologist if you have mental illness. You may also talk to a therapist about other issues including relationships, health problems, or employment difficulties.

However, in both cases, psychotherapy helps you deal with current challenges and past experiences. Therapy can be helpful for people who struggle to handle stressful situations or feelings of emotional distress.

If you learn information that causes you suffering, you can say something like “I’m going to therapy to figure out how to move on.” Just make sure you get enough sleep, take breaks from thinking about it, and do what you need to feel better.

More active therapies are best done when you still feel distressed.

 

Know The Different Types Of Trauma Therapy

Certain kinds of psychotherapy can be very effective for trauma, but contact with a therapist is not always necessary. You can help yourself to heal by talking about your experiences with others online. This can include family members, friends, community groups or professionals (such as counselors).

While therapists have certain skills that make them good helpers in helping you deal with psychic injury, there are no official training requirements here to become an expert. So if you’re willing to put time into healing, then certainly do it.

Healing from trauma takes work on your part. It will take people getting inside your head trying to understand what happened, why it happened, and how it affects you. Talk to others who have been through similar things so they can give you guidance and support.

 

Consider A Trauma Diet

Although it’s not widely practiced today, there was a time when eating a “trauma diet” was considered an important part of one’s treatment for stress or traumatic experiences such as car accidents, sexual assault, etc.

These diets were used because they typically involved eliminating foods that have additives like sugar and caffeine, along with food ingredients like processed meats and trans fats.

The idea behind these diets is that by limiting your intake of certain substances, you will start to feel hungry again and eat more healthy foods.

However, while treating any cause of malnutrition with restricted diets may work for some, most experts agree that this approach is not very sustainable.

Why? Because the body doesn’t know how to get nutrition from a bottle, it knows only how to get it from real foods.

When we are stuck in our thoughts about what we can and cannot do, we are also hiding our true ability to lean how to get back into balance.

More often than not, the cause of our anxiety is coming from a place within ourselves, rather than our surroundings.

Identifying the source of our stress and bringing attention to it through self-care is the first step toward managing our response.

 

If you are in need of a therapist for trauma, please feel free to contact:

Creative Sanctuary Psychotherapy & Art Therapy
37 Willoughby Path
East Northport, NY 11731
+16314930933
creativesanctuary.com