The main struggle that most trauma victims encounter is being able to cope with everything they’re feeling. The traumatic event they lived through is something that often haunts them. No matter how hard they try, it’s a feeling that they can’t simply “shake off.”
If you’ve lived through a trauma, you can’t help the way that you feel. The challenges you face on a daily basis are a direct result of your feelings. However, it is possible to change the way you feel. Research in neuroscience has shown us that if you’re able to become aware of what your inner experience is, it can be done. It will involve learning how to befriend everything that is happening inside you. There are three ways you can accomplish this.
Step 1: Learn to Deal with Hyperarousal
You’re probably aware of how often prescription medications are used to change the way people feel. Today, it has become an accepted way to deal with life’s ups and downs. The truth is that you come equipped with various skills to help you cope. Among these skills is learning how to control the way you breathe and move.
Sometimes people participate in Yoga as a way to help calm the symptoms of PTSD. Yoga teaches you how to breathe deeply and remain in a state of relaxation, regardless of your circumstances. In some areas of the world, this is referred to as self-management. It is highly effective at treating trauma.
Step 2: Becoming Self-Aware
If you’ve ever been through trauma therapy, your therapist has probably used the phrases, “Notice this…” or “What happens next?” They use them because the pain that you’re experiencing is often unbearable. You may feel bombarded by intolerable sensations that you can’t escape from, yet you keep trying. Unfortunately, avoiding what you’re experiencing is only going to make you more vulnerable. It’s definitely not a way to heal.
When you become more self-aware, you put yourself in touch with what’s going on on the inside of you. If you can notice how you’re feeling, you become open to making different choices, rather than falling into habits. Many therapists will refer to this as teaching mindfulness. What’s more, as you pay more attention to how you feel, you become more in control of those feelings.
Step 3: Embracing Your Relationships
The people who are closest to you play such an important role in your life. They are the ones you feel safe with. This goes back to your childhood when you would depend on an adult to take care of you, or get the monster out of your closet. As an adult, you need that same reassurance from the people you love from your support network.
People who have been traumatized recover best when they have a good support team surrounding them. Within those relationships, you’ll find that you feel more physically and emotionally safe.
Recovering from trauma is not an easy task. However, it is possible with the help of a professional to guide you through all the steps. If you’re looking for a trauma therapist, I would like to help you through this difficult time. Please contact me to make an appointment.
