Trauma therapy and PTSD treatment can help

The key symptoms of PTSD include intrusive thoughts, memories or flashbacks, avoidance of reminders of the event, changes in mood and thoughts (for instance, “No one can be trusted,” or “I am a bad person,”), and changes in the level of reactivity (feeling on edge or in a state of hyperarousal). PTSD is underdiagnosed so many people do not know they are experiencing PTSD. Even when someone may not have all the symptoms of PTSD and may not “meet the criteria” for it, trauma can still cause enough symptoms to interfere significantly in one’s life.

Common psychological symptoms associated with trauma include sleep disturbance and nightmares, irritability, anger, interpersonal conflict, intrusive memories and thoughts, withdrawal and avoidance, emotional numbness, disorientation and helplessness, anxiety and panic, self-blame, and self-loathing, and hypervigilance. Common physical signs and symptoms of trauma include racing heart, headaches, stomachaches, obesity, respiratory difficulties (like asthma), drug and alcohol problems, and chronic medical and mental illness.

Complex trauma occurs when traumatic events occur repeatedly throughout one’s life. Each event itself may not be sufficient by itself to have mounted a trauma response. However, the collective experience of the repeated insults cause significant physiological and psychological changes of trauma. Not always, but often, complex trauma begins in childhood and can disrupt many aspects of a child’s development and the formation of a cohesive self. Complex trauma falls under the umbrella of PTSD. But, because it often occurs during important developmental windows and often involves a caregiver or intimate partner, its effects can be even more far-reaching. 

Starting trauma therapy and PTSD treatment doesn’t mean that you have to go right in and begin discussing your trauma. Actually, in many cases, if you begin therapy by focusing on the trauma itself, the experience may worsen injury and pain. Instead, the early work of therapy should focus instead on restoring a sense of safety, helping the individual discover and use their own resources, learning new coping skills, and practicing self-regulation.

After initial trust is established between the therapist and client AND the individual has a heightened awareness of their coping resources, then therapy can begin to use strategies that deal directly with recounting the trauma story. Carefully integrating the trauma story only when the client is ready reduces the odds that discussing the trauma will cause emotional flooding and re-traumatization. Still, talking about trauma is difficult. It’s normal to experience some level of distress and difficulty coping during the process. But working with a trauma therapist can help you get through the experience, process your trauma, and begin to make changes in your life. 

For BIPOC and LGBTQIA*+ folks, it’s important to work with a therapist who is well-versed in the effects of discrimination, inequity, and oppression. They should be able to competently discuss racism, racial trauma, cultural issues, and historical and intergenerational trauma. For certain groups who have experienced many levels of trauma, the intersections of those traumas must be clearly realized and processed. It is a priority at our New York City practice to take a very intersectional approach to both identities and trauma because without such an approach, therapy is often insufficient.