Is trauma part of your story?

When considering your mental health, trauma may be part of the story. Whether you’re aware of a specific traumatic event, or trying to remember what exactly happened, trauma may play a part. So, what part does trauma play in mental health and when should we seek professional help?

One of the better books that I have read on trauma is “The body keeps the score,” by Bessel A van der Kolk, MD. Dr van der Kolk explains that most people that experience trauma, which (by definition) is intolerable, try to push it out of their minds. Unfortunately, it leaves traces on our minds and emotions, our ability to experience joy and intimacy, and even our biology and our immune systems.

How can we heal from trauma? Our first reaction may be to throw it into a metaphorical safe, lock it, and never open it again. However, as Dr van der Kolk points out, the effects may impact your life enough that it’s worth opening that safe and trying to heal.

There are three approaches to treating trauma; 1) talk therapy techniques meant to process, understand, and manage the trauma, 2) medication to shut down inappropriate alarms, and 3) biological/neurological treatments to allow change to what the body experiences. Many clients may need a combination of treatments to heal.

While there are multiple techniques and modalities for talk therapy, while looking for therapy you may look for the following from a therapist:

• Provide a safe, trusting relationship
• Verify your safety
• Help you learn to self sooth
• Allow you to control the pace / progress
• Help you manage appropriate and inappropriate emotions connected to the trauma
• Help you understand where the trauma fits in your story

If you can’t decide if dealing with past trauma makes sense for you, it makes sense to discuss it with a therapist. Even if you chose not to open that safe, you can begin your healing process with a trusting relationship.

Chris Guzniczak, LPC
Flower Mound Counseling