Types of Trauma and methods to help treat them?

This is the first time that, before deciding on a topic for the blog post on March 17th, I've taken a moment to write a few lines. Today's post marks our 25th published blog post—written by me, Neha, along with my wonderful co-founder of Zensible, Vedha, who is also my editor for all the blogs that you read. I truly believe this could not have been accomplished without her support and you my lovely and loyal readers ! So kudos to that !  To make this blog post stand out, we want to explore the topic of "Trauma - its various types." As individuals in society, we generally have a basic understanding of what trauma is and what factors might contribute to it. To enhance your current knowledge, I believe it would be best to start from this point.

Trigger Warning - (This Blog Post might consist of very sensitive information, viewer discretion is advised). 

Imagine someone who has experienced a traumatic event in their life. Trauma is defined as an emotional response to negative events, which can include accidents, abuse, emotional neglect, and natural disasters, among others. Long-term reactions to trauma may include flashbacks, strained relationships, nausea, and headaches, among other symptoms. This definition helps us understand that trauma can manifest in various forms, not just physical or emotional.

Trauma can be classified into different types such as: 

1. Acute Trauma: 

   • Occurs after a single traumatic event. This kind of trauma comes up with no “warning”.

• Some examples include - car accidents, sexual assault, shootings, bullying etc. 

• Symptoms of Acute trauma can include - shock, anxiety, fear, sudden flashbacks, avoiding certain traumatic events. 

2. Chronic Trauma:

• Compared to acute, this type of trauma occurs after repetitive traumatic events.

• Some examples of the same are -  medical illnesses, repetitive physical abuse, ongoing war, witnessing abuse at one’s household. 

• Symptoms of Chronic trauma can look like - anger, avoidance, nightmares, sleeping issues etc.

3. Complex Trauma:

• The final type is complex trauma, which develops from prolonged exposure to various forms of trauma, including multiple types.

• Some of the most noted symptoms for the same are -  hypervigilance, negative self-perceptions, disassociation towards the enviorment, issues with their interpersonal relationships.

• Examples of these in real life can look like - feelings of numbness, fear of intimacy with their partners, chronic fatiuge, always feeling on edge.

Common Treatment Methods for Different Types of Trauma:

1. CBT (Cognitive Behavioural Therapy):

   • The main focus is on altering the individual's cognitive functioning. This includes addressing Negative Automatic Thoughts, Core Beliefs, and underlying assumptions.

• When assisting patients who are struggling with trauma, the emphasis is on changing their negative thinking patterns and assumptions. This approach helps them cope with their past experiences.

  • Additionally, it is important to address the emotions related to their trauma, increasing their awareness of these feelings. This can help reduce the patient's tendency to avoid confronting those situations.
    

2. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy): 

• This therapeutic intervention mainly focuses on reprocessing their past distressful memories (related to their trauma) that could be the main reasons for the contribution of their current psychological and emotional difficulties. 

• Mostly used for patients with trauma, therapists use the 8-step method to go ahead with this process. 

• That consists of-  

  A.) Case History taking of the patient.

  B.) Preparing the client for further process.

  C.) Desensitizing the client towards the trauma part. 

  D.) Installation: In this phase, the client internalizes a positive belief associated with a specific event until it feels entirely true.

  E.) Body Scan: During this step, the client holds onto the positive belief and focuses on the targeted event while performing a full body scan. If the client experiences any discomfort during the scan, the process will be reprocessed from the beginning.
  

  F.) Closure: Upon completion of the scan, the client is returned to reality, where the therapist assesses how the client feels about the entire process.
  

  G.) Re-Evaluation: Before starting a new session, it is essential for the therapist to ensure that the client’s distress related to the traumatic event remains low and that their "positive beliefs," established during the installation phase, continue to be high.

3. Dialectical Behavioural Therapy: 

• This is a refined version of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that primarily focuses on developing healthy coping mechanisms for managing stress and regulating emotions.

• When it comes to helping clients with trauma, this approach emphasizes four main aspects:

1. Mindfulness - Helps in being in the present and remain grounded. 

2. Distress Tolerance -  Helpful in managing emotions during stressful times. 

3. Emotional Regulation - Helps in controlling all the negative emotions.  

4. Interpersonal Effectiveness - This helps individuals build healthy communication skills and establish boundaries with their peers.

I want to extend my heartfelt empathy to anyone who has faced traumatic life events. It’s truly challenging to navigate through the pain, and I want you to know that you are not alone. Whatever you’ve experienced, there is hope for healing and a brighter future. Opening up about your struggles can feel incredibly daunting, but I promise you, it’s a brave step toward feeling better.  As someone who is currently on a journey through therapy, I can honestly say that it does get better. I know it might sound cliché, but there really is light at the end of the tunnel. Yes, the road may have its obstacles, but I believe that there will come a time when you emerge as a new and stronger version of yourself. So let’s celebrate the journey of healing together and strive to be the best versions of ourselves. You’ve got this!

For more further information especially on the techniques used for trauma based therapy, you can refer to the following sources: 

• https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/treatments/cognitive-behavioral-therapy 

• https://www.mentalyc.com/blog/emdr-treatment-plan-goals-and-objectives

• https://www.talkspace.com/mental-health/conditions/dbt-for-ptsd/