Trauma Focused Therapy

Nearly 70% of Americans have experienced some kind of trauma or traumatic event in their lives. Trauma is not uncommon; in fact, it is a deeply harrowing emotional (even physical) experience. It can be anything like abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, bullying, or a life-threatening event.

Even some of us, or those we know and love, have experienced some kind of trauma in their lives. More likely, we hold it very close. Yet, the majority do not seek treatment for trauma. Unfortunately, though, untreated trauma can lead to chronic depression, substance use disorders, and even suicide attempts.

Trauma-focused therapy, or trauma therapy, is a type of psychotherapy that allows you to deal with the emotional consequences of a traumatic event. It recognizes the wide-ranging impact trauma can have on your life and facilitates your journey toward healing and well-being.

Trauma-focused therapy is a transformative tool used to understand the impact of trauma and how it leads to specific emotional and behavioral patterns. Trauma-focused therapy is based on 4 R’s:

• Realize the impact of trauma.
• Recognize the signs of trauma in yourself or family, as well as in other environments.
• Respond to trauma by integrating policies and practices to help you heal from trauma.
• Resist re-traumatization.

While not everybody who experiences trauma suffers from its lasting consequences, trauma therapy can enable you to deal with trauma if it is hindering your daily functioning and well-being.

There are several ways to approach trauma therapy. Different types of therapy are available, and each of these trauma-focused therapies tailored to your personal needs:

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT):

Actively challenges and changes maladaptive thinking, emotional, and behavioral patterns linked with trauma.

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT):

This kind of trauma-focused therapy challenges and changes inaccurate beliefs and self-defeating behavioral patterns. TF-Cognitive Behavior Therapy is specifically meant for children and adolescents.

Prolonged Exposure (PE):

PE exposes you to the source of your trauma under safe and supervised conditions. The idea is to expose a person to the fearful event until they are no longer afraid of it.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR):

EMDR involves a certain way of moving eyes (bilateral left-right stimulation) to process traumatic memories.

Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy (FOT):

FOT is a trauma-focused therapy that allows you to tap into your bodily sense of a traumatic event or experience, which then opens up a doorway to different paths to healing.

Trauma can be acute, chronic, complex, and secondary:

• Acute trauma is a single traumatic event, like a sexual assault, accident, or a near-death event.
• Chronic trauma is when trauma is prolonged. For instance, cases of bullying, sexual abuse, substance use disorders, or chronic conditions.
• Complex trauma refers to multiple traumatic events, like different instances of childhood abuse, domestic abuse, and chronic illness.
• Secondary trauma is also known as vicarious trauma. It is when a person experiences trauma by being in contact with someone who has directly experienced trauma.

Trauma-focused therapy can identify and treat some common types of trauma, such as:

• Abuse
• Bullying
• Domestic abuse and violence
• Sexual abuse and violence
• Crime and violence
• Neglect
• Abandonment
• Death of a loved one
• Life-threatening or near-death events
• Natural disasters
• Injury/accidents
• Chronic conditions
• Witnessing traumatic events or experiences.

The techniques used in trauma-focused therapy generally depend on the type of trauma-focused therapy you go for. Some of the common ones are:

Psycho-Education:

Sheds light on trauma and the general responses to trauma. It helps you accept your reactions to a traumatic event as valid and understandable.

Cognitive Restructuring Skills:

These skills allow you to identify and change maladaptive thinking patterns into productive ones.

Imaginal Exposure:

Here, you imagine your experience of trauma and recount it to your therapist. It reduces fear and avoidance, as it is a confrontational technique.

In Vivo Exposure:

You approach everyday events or conditions that you may otherwise avoid, given your traumatic experience. While in vivo exposure happens outside of a therapeutic setting, it is still safe and supervised. It reduces fear and avoidance as well.

Relaxation and Affective Regulation Skills:

These are coping skills that allow you to relax in the cases of intense arousal experiences. They enable you to identify and manage any unpleasant emotional states.

Focusing:

You sense and feel your body’s reaction to a traumatic event/experience. It will allow you to heal from your trauma by tapping into your own inner wisdom.

Trauma Narrative:

You will be asked to write down your experience of a traumatic event. The idea is that while an impactful traumatic narrative is difficult to create at first, incorporating the other skills you have learned becomes easier.

Trauma-focused therapy has many benefits. Some of them are as follows:

• Increased understanding of trauma and its impact.
• Reduced trauma-related symptoms.
• Decreased fear and/or avoidance.
• Helps overcome substance use disorders.
• Develop productive coping mechanisms.
• Reduces self-destructive behaviors, including self-harm and suicidal behaviors.
• Enhances quality of life.

Seeking treatment for trauma can be very difficult. Yet, if you or a loved one has taken this decision, it is one of the bravest and life-changing decisions one has made. Trauma-focused therapy will allow you to heal from trauma and lead a fulfilling life. The first step to getting started with trauma-focused therapy is finding a licensed mental health practitioner who is trained in trauma therapy. You will need to find one who is best aligned with your needs, goals, and healing journey.

At the NuView Treatment Center, we offer comprehensive and personalized trauma-focused therapies. We seek to understand your background, challenges, strengths, needs, and goals to connect you with a skilled practitioner who specializes in trauma treatment and one who is best aligned with your journey.

You and your therapist can then decide the goals of your therapy and collaborate accordingly for a personalized treatment plan.

What is the difference between CBT and TF-CBT?

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) changes maladaptive thinking, emotional, and behavioral patterns into productive ones and is  used in the treatment of a wide-spectrum of mental health conditions. TF-CBT uses CBT techniques to treat trauma. It is also specifically meant for children and adolescents.

What type of therapy is best for trauma?

Trauma-focused therapy, or trauma therapy, is best for trauma. There are also different types of trauma therapies like CPT, TF-CBT, PE, and EMDR.

What is the focusing technique for trauma?

The focusing technique for trauma allows a person to connect with how their body responds to traumatic experiences, allowing them to act as an observer of this experience in a safe environment.

References:

Marzillier, J. S. (2014). The trauma therapies. Oxford University Press, USA.

Pernicano, P. (2021). Using trauma-focused therapy stories: Interventions for therapists, children, and their caregivers. Routledge.

https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Trauma-infographic.pdf