Trauma can result from any type of stressful event and can manifest into an emotional response that triggers emotional, psychological, or physical reactions. However, complex trauma occurs when a person experiences repeated traumatic events at any point in their life, usually resulting from childhood or adolescent abuse or domestic violence.
These situations can make people feel as though they are trapped, which can lead to further isolation emotionally and a disconnect from your own thoughts and feelings. Healing from complex trauma can involve a combination of medical, therapeutic, and lifestyle changes and techniques.
Therapies for Healing
Effective strategies for coping with complex trauma and healing yourself can benefit from a variety of therapies aimed to help you process complex emotions and past events.
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): CBT therapy administered in a short and structured plan can help process traumatic memories and experiences from your past and regain control of your emotions.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): EMDR uses guided eye movements to help individuals with complex trauma to reprocess their experiences in a less-emotionally intensive manner.
- Somatic Therapies: This form of therapy focuses on the body’s physical response to trauma and stress rather than the emotional or psychological response and can help you to become in-tune with your bodily awareness and sensations during triggering events.
Healthy Coping Strategies
Recovering from complex trauma is a gradual experience, but having a variety of techniques on-deck can make the healing process quicker and easier.
- Breathing exercises: Practicing meditative and mindful breathing exercises, such as 4-7-8 breathing or box breathing, can help you reconnect with your emotions and let your body know that you are safe.
- Journaling: Taking time for yourself to write down and process your emotions is a great coping strategy if you encounter triggering situations or stress responses during the day.
- Grounding: Find time to ground yourself by comparing your current situation to the past. Ask yourself how the sights, smells, and sounds, for example, are different in your current state. How are you and the people around you different? Remind yourself that the traumatic event is no longer occurring by behaving in ways that weren’t possible in the past. Give yourself room to breathe and stretch and reconnect with yourself.
- Develop positive affirmations: Practice saying positive affirmations to yourself throughout the day to remind yourself of your self-worth and value in your life. Think of a few positive words that ground you in the present, such as “I can do this,” or “I am safe now.”
- Reward yourself: recovering from complex trauma is hard work. Don’t be afraid to take breaks from time to time and reward yourself for your progress on the journey to healing. Taking time for self-care, such as spending time with friends and family, treating yourself to a comfort meal or treat, or setting aside some time to relax can help you succeed in overcoming difficulties related to complex trauma.
With the right forms of therapy, medicine, and lifestyle changes, you can improve your mental wellbeing and overcome some of the challenges associated with complex trauma. Reconnect with your body and emotions to take back control of your life.
Beachside Rehab in West Palm Beach, Florida, takes a holistic approach to addiction recovery that uses the principles of mindfulness. Contact our trained admissions counselors at 866-349-1770 to discuss how we can help.
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