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Trauma

How to Process Trauma in Therapy

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Medically reviewed by Dr. Mark Hrymoc, M.D.
doctor teaching client how to process trauma in therapy

Processing trauma in therapy involves creating a safe space where individuals can explore and understand their traumatic experiences. With the guidance of a qualified therapist, individuals can use various techniques such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, EMDR, or narrative therapy to work through emotions, memories, and develop coping strategies. It’s important for the therapy to be paced appropriately to avoid retraumatization. Reports suggest that 6% of Americans, over 8 million, will experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). According to research, traumatic experiences included 49% sexual assaults, 32% physical assaults, 16.8% serious accidents, and 15.4% shot or stabbed. In addition, 14.3% lost a loved one, 10.4% were parents of children who are dying, 7.3% witnessed violence against another person, and 3.8% survived a natural disaster. It’s important to mention that over 300 million war survivors worldwide have PTSD. Symptoms can interfere with daily functioning at work, school, and home. If you or someone you …

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The Polyvagal Theory: How to Calm the Body

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polyvagal theory

By Ashley Barnes, M.S. AMFT What is Polyvagal Theory? Polyvagal Theory explains the impact that our nervous system has on our experience of threat and safety. Shifts in our autonomic nervous system (which regulates involuntary physiological processes like heart rate, respiration, digestion, etc.) produces key states of being: rest-and-digest (safe), fight-or-flight (unsafe, mobilization), or shutdown (unsafe, freeze). The autonomic nervous system is composed of three divisions, two of which are the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.  If we have unresolved trauma in our past, struggle with chronic stress, or experience anxiety and depression, we may live in a version of perpetual fight-or-flight. This is hard on the body and can lead to many adverse health outcomes, both physical and mental. What is the Vagus Nerve? Central to Polyvagal Theory is the vagus nerve, “is the longest cranial nerve in the body, containing both motor and sensory functions in both the …

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9 Symptoms of Childhood Trauma in Adulthood

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Symptoms of Childhood Trauma in Adulthood

Ignoring childhood trauma can lead to mental health conditions in adulthood related to childhood trauma in adulthood. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA), one in seven children experiences abuse annually. Also, one in five high school students report being bullied, and at least 1,000 kids are treated in emergency rooms after being assaulted. SAMSHA says that two-thirds of children experience at least one trauma by age 16. Only a tiny percentage of children receive trauma-related treatments to learn how to cope, confront, and move forward. Instead, they take the trauma into adulthood, which can cause significant distress. In this article, you will learn more about the most common symptoms of childhood trauma in adulthood as well as the treatment options available. What is Trauma? Trauma can be both a noun and a verb. Trauma is an event or situation that negatively impacts your life. Examples …

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Vicarious Trauma

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By Ashley Barnes What is vicarious trauma? In understanding vicarious trauma, it is important to have knowledge about trauma itself. When many people think of and conceptualize trauma, they may immediately think of trauma as an event that occurs; for example, one may explain a near death experience as trauma. However, such situations are traumatic events. Trauma is a response to a deeply distressing or disturbing traumatic event; it often manifests through changes in psychological and physiological responses.  Vicarious trauma, “also known as secondary trauma, can be described as indirect exposure to a traumatic event through first-hand account or narrative of that event” (Good Therapy, 2016). Vicarious trauma often involves a shift in someone’s worldview with repeated exposure to traumatic content, such as viewing the world as an inherently dangerous place or people as inherently untrustworthy. Who is at risk? Those in helping professions such as counselors, medical professionals, first …

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PTSD Awareness Month

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By Ashley Barnes What is PTSD Awareness Month? June is PTSD Awareness Month and aims to spread awareness about the disorder, its causes, and its symptoms while also supporting and empowering those who experience it.  What is PTSD? Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is described by the American Psychological Association as a disorder that “may result when an individual lives through or witnesses an event in which he or she believes that there is a threat to life or physical integrity and safety and experiences fear, terror, or helplessness” (2021). Hallmark PTSD symptoms as outlined by the American Psychological Association include: reexperiencing the trauma in painful recollections, flashbacks, or recurrent dreams or nightmares; avoidance of activities or places that recall the traumatic event, as well as diminished responsiveness (emotional anesthesia or numbing), with disinterest in significant activities and with feelings of detachment and estrangement from others; and chronic physiological arousal, leading …

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