About Trauma
Trauma is the experience of distressing events, and the impact of them. This can range from a significant one-off event (such as a traffic collision), to multiple experiences of abuse and neglect during childhood. It can also be one or several smaller experiences, such as relationship break-ups, bullying, inattentive parenting experiences and/or social isolation.
Treating Trauma
The impact of trauma can be wide ranging. You may be experiencing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, and dissociation, or you may be experiencing low mood/depression, anxiety, relationship difficulties or anger, but traumatic experiences underlie these symptoms. This will all be assessed in your initial assessment phase.
Treating Trauma
There is an evidence base for several therapies addressing trauma, including EMDR, ACT, CBT. All of these will help you to develop coping strategies and a safe and trusting relationship with your therapist to allow you to engage in graded exposure of avoided experiences and to process the unprocessed traumatic material.
