Managing Trauma
The American Psychological Association explains that unpredictable emotional and physical symptoms can result after experiencing trauma. These symptoms can include:
feeling nervous or on “high alert”
irritability and strained relationships
sleeping difficulties
flashbacks
intrusive memories
nightmares
trouble feeling positive emotions
avoiding people, places, memories, or thoughts associated with the traumatic event
stress-related physical symptoms
There are some effective ways in coping with the aftermath of stress such as support from loved ones and friends, exercise, healthy food, getting back into a normal routine and good sleep if possible. Most people will recover from trauma on their own with time. However, some may require professional help and this may be necessary if you find that your distress is interfering with your relationships, work, or daily functioning.
There are many different approaches in dealing with trauma and some of this work is trial and error. Some approaches can be used in combination. Examples of some approaches are,
Ø Cognitive Behavioural Therapy helps you change negative thoughts and behaviours
Ø Mindfullness is focusing your awareness on the present moment without judgement
Ø Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing where the eyes move rapidly back and forth similar to Rapid Eye Movement during sleep and where memory is reshaped in a positive manner
Ø Havening is a psychosensory therapy designed to change the brain to de-traumise the memory and remove its negative effects from both the psyche and body
Ø Emotional Freedom Technique a practice of using your fingers to tap a sequence of acupressure points on various points of the body.
Trauma can also be stored in the body where we store memories, experience and emotions at a cellular level. So some bodywork, such as craniosacral therapy, yoga and massage, may be required in addition to the above approaches. Somatic psychotherapy is a therapeutic approach which engages the body awareness as a powerful tool and intervention in therapy.
Trauma needs to be revisited gently and safely. You allow yourself to feel the emotions that went along with it. Gradually with time and patience the trauma is released from your body.
If you would like some help with your trauma please contact us at holisticcounsellingireland.com.
