Trauma Treatment in Dallas, TX
What is a trauma?
The APA defines trauma as an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, abuse, combat exposure, or natural disaster. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical. Longer term reactions include unpredictable emotions, flashbacks, strained relationships, and even physical symptoms like headaches or nausea. While these feelings are normal, some people have difficulty moving on with their lives. Psychologists can help them find constructive ways of managing their emotions.
When people think of trauma, they typically think of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, not everyone who experiences trauma will develop PTSD.
There are three main types of trauma: Acute, Chronic, or Complex
- Acute trauma results from a single incident, such as an accident or natural disaster.
- Chronic trauma is repeated and prolonged, as in cases of neglect, abuse or combat.
- Complex trauma is the exposure to multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature.
Nadine Burke Harris: How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime | TED Talk
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) | VitalSigns | CDC
Symptoms of Trauma:
The Office of Veterans Affairs outlines the common reactions of trauma:
- Losing hope for the future
- Feeling distant (detached) or losing a sense of concern about others
- Being unable to concentrate or make decisions
- Feeling jumpy and getting startled easily at sudden noises
- Feeling on guard and alert all the time
- Having dreams and memories that upset you
- Having problems at work or school
- Avoiding people, places and things related to the event
You may also experience more physical reactions such as:
- Stomach upset and trouble eating
- Trouble sleeping and feeling very tired
- Pounding heart, rapid breathing, feeling shaky
- Sweating
- Severe headache if thinking of the event
- Not keeping up with exercise, diet, safe sex or regular health care
- Smoking more, using alcohol or drugs more, or eating too much
- Having your ongoing medical problems get worse
You may have more emotional troubles such as:
- Feeling nervous, helpless, fearful, sad
- Feeling shocked, numb, or not able to feel love or joy
- Being irritable or having angry outbursts
- Getting easily upset or agitated
- Blaming yourself or having negative views of oneself or the world
- Being unable to trust others, getting into fights, or trying to control everything
- Being withdrawn, feeling rejected, or abandoned
- Feeling detached, not wanting intimacy
Treatment options
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) are two of the main types of trauma therapy. Medication management is also highly recommended to manage intense symptoms of trauma and to help tolerate the work involved in trauma recovery. A combination of TF-CBT and EMDR is used to help increase coping skills and decrease negative thinking patterns.