How do I tell my therapist about past trauma?
You can say something like: “There is something I’m struggling to move past. I know I need to face it to move forward, but I’m afraid to talk about it. I think I’m afraid I will be judged, or that you will think I’m overreacting.”
What does a trauma response look like?
Initial reactions to trauma can include exhaustion, confusion, sadness, anxiety, agitation, numbness, dissociation, confusion, physical arousal, and blunted affect. Most responses are normal in that they affect most survivors and are socially acceptable, psychologically effective, and self-limited.
Does talk therapy make PTSD worse?
A compelling article by a veteran, journalist and PTSD survivor David J. Morris suggests that for some people, re-exposure to the trauma via Prolonged Exposure Therapy makes things worse. Instead of gaining mastery over the event, they deteriorate.
Should trauma survivors become therapists?
People who have processed the effects of past trauma — often with the help of a therapist of their own — can become excellent counselors, Pow says. Posttraumatic growth and healing from the experience can foster empathy and strengthen coping skills.
How does it feel to tell your trauma story?
They said they felt like they could face anything, as they saw their fear lessen and found greater freedom in their lives. It takes courage to tell your story, and witnessing your own courage shows you that you’re not only strong, but also whole. 5. The trauma memory becomes more organized.
How do therapists help trauma survivors recognize distorted beliefs?
These shifts typically don’t require heavy lifting by the therapist to help the trauma survivor recognize the distorted beliefs. Instead, there’s something about opening the book of one’s trauma memory and reading it aloud, “from cover to cover,” that exposes false beliefs.
What happens to our self after trauma?
Especially in trauma, we move to extremes. Where we once sought freedom from overwhelming sensations, we eventually embody the separation: fully numb, divorced from life, split from Self, desperately seeking a way to feel real again, to feel connected to others and to life … to feel anything but the empty nothingness we sought and created.
Should you share your trauma stories with others?
The biggest benefit from sharing our trauma stories may come from starting to make sense of a senseless event. “As humans we gravitate toward processing and trying to make sense of our experience,” Dr. Powers said, and that need is especially pronounced following a trauma.