It almost seems inevitable that at some point during trauma therapy, people end up experiencing a sense of “stuckness.” The client starts to feel worse instead of feeling better, and the therapist is left with the worry that they did something wrong. It’s hard place to be in for both sides. It is also quite typical.
But what most people don’t realize is that there is a reason why people experience that feeling of being stuck. They also don’t often understand that there are ways to avoid it completely.
Getting “Stuck” During Trauma Therapy
We’ve talked about how the “self” becomes fragmented for people who have lived through traumatic experiences. The sensation of being stuck is the direct result of the conflict that is happening internally for the victim. Those fragmented selves – which might have been right at home, regardless of the dysfunction they caused – find themselves in an uproar. That internal battle causes the client to feel as though they aren’t making any progress, and they usually end up feeling even worse. But that doesn’t have to last forever.
If the therapist isn’t careful, they can miss this time of great transformation. Far too many question their own abilities, and in turn, they lose the opportunity to witness what is happening inside their client’s fragmented self.
The chaos that occurs because of the fragmented self is a normal part of the healing process. But that doesn’t mean that it always has to be so difficult to get through, and it doesn’t mean that healing from trauma has to be incredibly painful.
New Ways to View Trauma Therapy
Researchers have been looking for new ways to treat trauma for a few decades now. Many believed that there had to be better ways to offer treatment that wouldn’t be quite as devastating to the client. So often, trauma victims find themselves having to relive those old, painful memories. Their therapy can cause just as much trauma as the original event did, itself.
In her book, Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors by Janina Fisher, she says, “I have always believed that it was bad enough for my clients to have lost their childhoods or adolescence, but it was absolutely unacceptable to allow the legacy of trauma to deprive them of their adult lives. And it has equally felt unacceptable that processing trauma should be as frightening and overwhelming as the early experiences themselves.”
Sadly, so many trauma victims do not get the help they need because they are afraid of the pain. But the good news is that today’s methods have been improved to lessen the pain and instead, bring the client into a place of healing and wholeness.
If you are a trauma victim, you may feel as though there’s no hope for you to feel better. I’ve worked with many people who all shared that belief, and they found that there was hope. I can help you in the same way. Please contact me to make an appointment for your consultation.
