Trauma can be thought of as a type of intense learning experience. If I drive in my car and get in an accident, I may learn (or start to believe) that it is not safe to drive anywhere.

Through therapy, we can try to understand the impact that trauma has had on your beliefs about the world. When we suffer something scary, life-threatening, or challenging to our sense of self, we can wrongly start to blame ourselves (“I should have known better”) or believe that the world isn’t as safe as we thought it was.

Some people who have a history of trauma also have intense physiological symptoms that can happen from time to time. It is then important to learn ways to calm down your body when it is triggered. These techniques can include important relaxation skills, like deep breathing or grounding; I also try to personalize your “coping skills toolbox” to take into account other strategies that specifically help calm you down. For example, I find that a warm bath or moderately energetic music can help me relax or refocus my mind. Those would be additional examples of strategies that I would have in my toolbox when I encounter triggers.

People also try to avoid thinking about trauma events, or even going to places or seeing people they associate with what occurred. Therapy can help you find creative, safe ways to be exposed to those triggers so that they eventually spark less emotion or physiological response.

I practice from a Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy approach, which puts into practice the above principles. Furthermore, a trauma narrative can be an important part of your recovery from trauma. The trauma narrative can take many shapes; ultimately it’s about using the narrative to empower yourself by focusing on your strength and resilience in getting through a difficult situation.