Therapy for trauma can be essential in finding your way back to a healthy life. What we call trauma is usually reactions or behaviors that developed in response to overwhelming events. Trauma inducing events could be single situations or span several years or even decades. What makes trauma something that we seek therapy for is usually the ways our nervous system tries to deal with the events. These attempts of nervous system to help us can often bring serious consequences. They can look different from person to person. Some on surface feel obviously related traumatic events. Others can feel more confusing but can often find their roots in ways that nervous system had found to cope with something overwhelming.

When trauma therapy doesn’t work

The path to healing in itself is challenging. Finding a therapist, attending therapy, reflecting and working on yourself are all tough. It is even more frustrating when we find that therapy for trauma didn’t work. Having an idea of these 3 common situations where therapy will fail in trauma work can help guide us towards finding the right way and a happier, healthier life. 

1) Talk therapy that reactivates trauma and trauma symptoms

We might have ideas that therapy will require talking through trauma in detail. While this is currently not seen as best practice among trauma-informed therapists, traditional talk therapy is based on the idea that sharing with a supportive, non-judgmental person will help. And for some people talking through difficult times and traumatic experiences can feel useful. For others, the nervous system becomes activated – sending the body into survival mode. This might look like being detached in session to jumping into numbing, fight/flight-type behaviors outside of session. Therapy can feel like a struggle, or even unsafe. Or the behaviors to cope can compound problems, making life more difficult. 

Key tip for effective trauma therapy

Look for a trauma-informed therapist with whom you feel you can develop a rapport. The relationship with therapist should be one where the two of you are working to get an understanding of how and when trauma related symptoms come up. Ideally, you will both be looking to unravel the links between the past trauma and current difficulties. This can often be done by tuning into here-and-now feelings, impulses and reactions. Therapists that use somatic techniques, mindfulness and other approaches aimed at growing awareness and capacity towards compassionate approaches to self could be more helpful than ones who offer traditional talk therapies. 

2) Being stuck in comparison

Often cleints can sense that some aspect of what they need to change is related to past events, but then say that they didn’t have it as bad as others. This attitude can derail therapy and hamper people from appreciating how they have adapted in face of overwhelming events. If we don’t feel that something is worthy of time or attention, we are likely to dismiss it. If we don’t understand things as they are, we will continue to be affected by them.

Key tip for effective trauma therapy

You don’t need to find trauma hiding behind everything, but we do need to comprehend the origin of any patterns we find ourselves in now. The habits or reactions that negatively affect us are in place for a reason. Be open to exploring the ways that you have developed to cope. Look to understand how patterns might have served you at some point. How the pattern helped safety or survival. Understanding that patterns sometimes serve to keep us connected to people, sometimes to distract or numb, sometimes just to have a plausible story as to ‘why’.

3) Still being in a traumatic or abusive situation

Sadly, trauma therapy doesn’t work for people who are in situations of abuse or trauma. Trauma therapy aims to help people to regulate their nervous system, create a sense of self and safety again. This is not possible in situations where someone is confronting regular threats to safety. 

Key tip for effective trauma therapy

You can still get significant benefits from therapy even if you are in a situation that is causing trauma. However, therapy will be better directed towards support, safety planning and exploring choices. Work on the effects of trauma in therapy can begin once you are in a safe situation. 

Find relief from trauma

Trauma Therapy in Katy, TX

Trauma can be debilitating but it is also something you can come back from. If you are ready to address trauma in therapy, reach out for help. It can feel overwhelming to begin to focus on the problem, however, you are not alone in the journey.  If you need help, talk to a supportive friend, speak to your doctor or find a trauma-informed therapist.  Therapy offers a place to process trauma and the effects on our lives.  Working with a trauma-informed therapist can help you to find confidence in your ability to cope and heal. 

You can contact me by sending me a message on my contact page. I offer free 15 minute phone consultations to answer your questions and speak about your individual needs.