What options are available for people suffering from trauma issues
Life can be painful for individuals suffering from emotional trauma. Often trauma is so deeply ingrained in their psyche that it leads to a myriad of other problems. People who suffer trauma in their childhood might carry it into adulthood as well. This is why it’s necessary to seek treatment for trauma. It can also lead a person to become numb and feel disassociated from their surroundings and loved ones. This is why there is treatment available for those who haven’t been able to overcome their traumatically related issues.
People suffering from psychological trauma can benefit from the following treatment options.
Self help
The following simple steps must be tried by individuals who suffer from undue stress because of trauma.
- The first thing a person suffering from emotional trauma is to get moving. They should try to keep themselves busy. They could either join a gym or take brisk walks almost every day to release endorphins which are the feel good hormones in the body.
- Exercises which include a great deal of physical effort can be helpful however yoga can also provide peace of mind to certain individuals. The focus is to channel your energies towards positive things.
- Avoid isolation. It is ok to seek help, to talk to friends and family instead of bottling up all the emotions on the inside.
- Also an active participation in social activities can help individual deal with anxiety issues ad depression.
- There are also some ways in which individuals can self-regulate their nervous system. Deep breathing can help keep anxiety at bay. Sensory input can be helpful as well. This means that touching or feeling a certain thing or smell could trigger feelings of relaxation. It could be petting one’s cat or dog or listening to some soothing music.
Often the above mentioned self-care tips can help people manage their emotional trauma. If despite all of the above an individual finds themselves still suffering depression and anxiety to the point that it becomes difficult to lead a normal life, they should seek emotional trauma treatment.
Medical trauma treatment
Individuals might be referred to trauma specialists who would use any of the following approaches:
- Somatic Experiencing refers to treatment which focuses on bodily sensations. The idea is to focus on what a body would experience instead of paying any attention to emotions and memories related to the trauma. Patients are asked to seek a physical outlet to release their trauma, either by shaking or crying.
- Some psychologists offer behavioural cognitive therapy which can help a person process and channel their thoughts
- Eye movement desensitisation and re-procession (EMDR). It is a combination of cognitive therapy and rapid eye movements or any other forms of rhythmic movement which can help release or unfreeze traumatic events.
The specialist decide the mode of treatment based on their findings about the individual. Emotional trauma can vary from one person to another. The triggers are different and therefore treatment is varied and different as well.