Moving Forward After Trauma: Reclaiming Your Power and Building Resilience

Dealing with trauma can be one of the most challenging experiences in life. It can be so daunting that it leaves you feeling hopeless and isolated. The reality of the situation is that your trauma does not define you, and you are not alone.

Your first step in moving forward from trauma should be to seek the guidance of a trauma therapist. They will ensure that you receive the support and tools to process your trauma properly. There will be steps taken forward and back, revelations, and complicated emotions to confront. But you can begin to heal and find a sense of peace and empowerment.

You Are Not Your Trauma

Keep repeating this mantra in your head. You have to believe it’s true to heal. Regardless of the cause of your trauma, whether it be sexual abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder from fighting in a war, a physical accident, or childhood abuse and neglect, it is not your fault. You did not deserve what happened to you. Once that is completely clear to you, you can begin reclaiming and building your life back.

What Trauma Does And How Therapy Combats It

When you go through a traumatic event, memories are stored in your brain. These memories flair up and are the cause of painful flashbacks, night terrors, and other negative emotions and behaviors that drain you.

Trauma therapy’s goal is to figure out how your trauma has personally affected you. With a properly trained trauma specialist, therapy is accessible to you in a safe space. You will not have to fear any judgment and will be free to voice any concerns, emotions, or thoughts that you may have.

Once your therapist has a good idea of how the trauma has impacted you and how you live your life currently, the two of you can work together to determine what treatment methods are right for you.

Standard Treatment Methods in Trauma Therapy

Most trained trauma professionals will have different techniques for processing trauma. Various modalities are utilized because everyone and their trauma is different. What works for others may not work for you. Some common trauma treatment methods are:

Eye Movement Desensitization And Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is an exercise that causes your brain to go through a natural healing process and changes your perception of the traumatic event. This process is usually done by focusing on an object and moving your eyes with it as it moves back and forth while you talk about the event.

Somatic Attachment Therapy

Somatic attachment therapy includes things like creating a safe space for you to go to when trauma symptoms creep up and visualizing certain things to get your mind away from it. When trauma rears its ugly head, your therapist may ask you to visualize a container. What shape is it? How big? The color? What does the lid look like? Once you have it in your mind, put all that trauma into the container and seal it. 

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is about changing how you perceive yourself, your thoughts, behaviors, and your emotions. By adding the trauma-focused part, you and your therapist will look at all of those things through the lens of your personal trauma. This approach is all about the mantra: “You are not your trauma.” 

These are only a few samples of treatment methods. If none of these work, there are other avenues that you and your therapist can try.

Trauma is a beast. Tame it by learning how to reclaim your power and build resistance with trauma therapy.

If you would like to learn more about trauma, how it affects you, and how to manage it,  feel free to contact me