Trauma can occur to anyone after they go through a significant negative experience. Any injury physical or mental has the potential to cause trauma because everyone can experience comparable circumstances differently. Even after you get help for the physical effects of an injury, the psychological aftermath may affect you for years. You may often dream about the traumatic event, and find you are unable to sleep.
Traumatic events can impact people in ways that might not be noticed at first. However, even after many years, if a trauma victim has an experience that reminds them of the traumatic event, they could have a bodily reaction. These reactions may cause the traumatized individual to avoid relationships or to feel physical pain years after their injuries have healed.
It can be challenging to predict how you might feel after a long time has passed since the traumatic event. Unless you get help to learn new ways to respond to traumatic memories, you may have recurring feelings of fear or emotional turmoil for years afterward. Many people with traumatic memories find help by working with therapists.
Dealing with trauma can be difficult to overcome. Yet, when trauma is not dealt with effectively, it can stick with a person for many years to come, affecting many different aspects of their daily life. Trauma that is not dealt with can lead to poor sleep, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and even relationship and career difficulties. These are just a few of the ways to effectively deal with trauma.
Speak to a trusted friend
Keeping trauma internally can make it difficult to effectively deal with it. Sometimes, even speaking to a trusted friend can help you work through it and heal. Unfortunately, most people do not have a trusted friend that they feel comfortable sharing these concerns with. If you do not, do not pressure yourself to open up to someone. It might be better to instead, open up to a professional.
Seek psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is professional counseling services. Not only is this a safe environment that is confidential, but professional counselors are also well trained in dealing with trauma through different interventions. Additionally, professional counselors can identify other associated problems, such as anxiety and depression and work through those as well. Though it varies depending on the condition, psychotherapy treatments for depression usually last 10 to 20 weeks. In order for antidepressants to take full effect, experts recommend giving the medication four to six weeks.
Consider family and group therapy
Excessive trauma can affect the family and their dynamics. Family and group therapy can be advantageous for even individuals dealing with trauma. It allows the family to see what the individual is going through and the family can work together to find ways to get through it together. Sometimes, the trauma is caused by the family and that can also be explored in the counseling session.
Group therapy can also be beneficial for trauma. Many people suffering from trauma often feel like they are alone. Working in a group setting can remove those feelings of loneliness and can connect the individual to others who truly understand what they are going through. Groups tend to work with trauma, depression, and anxiety. You might even end up building a support group that you can rely on more than your current social system.
Work on improving self awareness
Self awareness can also improve psychological symptoms. In fact, many professional counselors will assign self awareness homework to their clients. Simply keeping a journal or attempting to be more open with one?s self can be healing. Approximately 350,000,000 people around the world are affected by some form of depression. It is important to remember that you are not alone and learning to be more reflective can help with this. If you are unsure of where to start, consider joining a group counseling session or scheduling an individual appointment.
Learn to strengthen current social relationships
Social relationships are what make up a person?s social circle. These are the people that you will rely on to get you through the toughest of times. If you are unsatisfied with your current social support system, you need to do one of two things. You might consider replacing people that do more harm than good. You also might consider strengthening those relationships.
Relationship counseling can improve your marriage and give you added support. In fact, after working with a marriage or family therapist, 93% of patients said they had more effective tools for dealing with their problems. Respondents also reported improved physical health and the ability to function better at work after attending therapy.
It is important to deal with psychological symptoms as they come. Failing to do so can lead to a worsening of the symptoms, as well as negative consequences in your daily life. Working with a professional counselor can provide many advantages to the individual working through trauma.
