Trigger warning – this post is going to talk about various kinds of traumatic events.
Does Trauma Therapy Work?
This is one of the questions that I get asked a lot. For many years therapists believed that Trauma is untreatable, that certain life events create a mark on the person that cannot be unmade, they were only trying to manage it. But in the last 30 or so years they have found out that this is not the case, trauma is treatable, even the harshest traumas, or the ones that happen at a very young age.
Ways I’ve seen it work…
Without divulging identifiable information, here are a few examples of traumas that were resolved trauma treatment work:
- A soldier that had been wounded in battle and struggled with guilt for his performance in battle.
- A woman who was robbed at gun point and was feeling unsafe to feel anything.
- A woman who suffered sexual assault from a boyfriend and could not come to terms with what had happened.
- A woman who suffered bullying as a child and was afraid of any kind of social gathering.
What if you don’t even believe it can work?
Maybe it sounds too good to be true. You may have been dealing with the effects of trauma so long that you just don’t believe that it could ever go away. Maybe you’ve tried some kind of talk therapy where you felt overwhelmed trying to “hash out” the events you endured, and the “Therapy” only made it worse, Or maybe some psychologist or psychiatrist told you that trauma is untreatable (if someone said that, know that they are very… very out of date). What ever the reason, you’re here reading this so I’m guessing that you have some kind of openness to try something new.
Full disclosure: trauma treatment doesn’t always work.
I don’t want to sell you illusions, trauma treatment doesn’t always work. It works in many many cases, but sometimes a certain treatment does not help in a certain case.
So why did it work for others, but not for me?
I would say that for if a treatment doesn’t work for you, it can because of a few reasons:
- It might be a matter of timing. It might not be the right time for you, sometimes it’s a matter of timing. For example – I would not start trauma therapy just when I am changing apartments, or just after having a child. I would do other forms of therapy to support that moment, trauma therapy is about delving inside and when the outside world is calling you it might not be the right time
- It might not have been the right therapist. The most important part of therapy is the relationship between the you and your therapist, you need someone you can feel safe with. Also… not all therapists are good. And also not all therapists are good working with trauma.
- Finally It may simply have not been the right technique for you. There are so many techniques that work, and each one is more suited for different types of trauma, and people. I have studied many techniques exactly because of this, I wanted to have a big bag of options to pull from so I will have something to offer to each person.
How long does Trauma therapy take?
This really depends on the specific case. I would say like this, For most people, an initial set of 10 sessions done over 2 months can make a huge difference. After that it really depends on the case, some people just do those initial sessions, others do therapy for a few months, other may decide to do therapy for a few years. I believe that most of what you need can be done in a short time.
What kind of therapy works best for trauma?
That’s a really good question, and as I’ve written before, there are many different techniques, but at the same time the answer is quite straight forward. For trauma the best techniques work through the body, or at least they have some kind of component that brings our attention to how it feels to be in our body. I realize that you might not want to feel your body, this is one of the symptoms of trauma, but that is exactly why those forms of therapy work best. What I can promise you is that when it is done right, you will not feel uncomfortable to feel your body, and it will not be scary, unpleasant or uncomfortable in the long run.
The therapies I believe in the most are the following:
- EMDR – a method which uses eye movements
- Somatic experiencing – a method which works with our sensations
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy – a method which works with sensations an movement
- Holotropic breathwork – a shamanic kind of circular breathing that creates altered states of consciousness.
Does this answer your question?
If you’re struggling with Trauma, or just not feeling good emotionally, I really believe it can get better for you. I’m happy to answer any quesitons you have. Or if you know you want to get started with Therapy for Trauma Recovery follow these simple steps:
- Contact Tomer for a free 15-minute consultation.
- Meet with Tomer in person or online.
- Begin Therapy so you can overcome your past, feel alive, and be happy.
Other Services Provided by Tomer
In addition to Trauma treatment, I offer a variety of counseling & guidance services. I offer Therapy for Anxiety & Depression, Therapy for Trauma Recovery, Bodywork and Therapy for Chronic Pain, Life Patterns Analysis, Transpersonal Psychotherapy & Yoga Teachings. If you have questions about the treatments that I offer, please visit my FAQ page. Contact my office to learn more about the ways I can help you or your loved one!