Introduction
The complexity of trauma means that its healing and complete recovery is also a complex and prolonged process. The problem comes from the physiological and psychological aspects that are present in traumatized people. They have issues with responses and emotions, which arise from the altered work of the brain and its inability to stop recalling old memories and activating the survival mechanisms. In such a way, patients are always alert, suffer from flashbacks, and cannot engage fully in their activities (Van der Kolk, 2014). The recovery and return to the traditional way of living demand much effort and focus on reacquiring control over the body by using specific practices. Every case should be viewed as unique; however, specific recommendations can be followed to ensure the basis for positive shifts is created.
Self and Control
First of all, it is essential to restore the idea of self and understanding that a patient can control it. In such a way, the first challenge to healing trauma is to reestablish ownership of the body and mind (Van der Kolk, 2014). In other words, patients should be explained that they can control their feelings and emotions and avoid being triggered by ordinary things (Van der Kolk, 2014). This step is critical for complete recovery and implies several phases. A person should find a way to be calm and focused, learn how to remain in this state, understand how to be fully alive, and not keep secrets from oneself (Van der Kolk, 2014). Although these goals might look simple, their achievement requires time, effort, and a correct understanding of trauma and how it evolves. Moreover, they might overlap if a patient requires it at the moment (Van der Kolk, 2014). In other words, flexibility is central to working with trauma.
Self-Awareness
The diversity in approaches might help to resolve traumatic stress, which has negative impacts on clients. It requires restoring the balance between the rational and emotional brains for a client to control his/her life (Van der Kolk, 2014). That is why it is vital to deal with hyperarousal and view self-awareness as the core of recovery (Van der Kolk, 2014). For this reason, cultivating mindfulness is central during therapy as it has numerous positive impacts on psychiatric, psychosomatic, and stress-related symptoms (Van der Kolk, 2014). In other words, it is vital to focus on cultivating behaviors helping a person to understand his/her ability to control the body and integrate memories. From this perspective, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the valuable tools that can be recommended to traumatized patients. The approach focuses on cultivating behaviors and responses necessary for patients’ successful interactions with others and their lives. As a result, they acquire the chance to control anxiety levels and avoid negative thinking patterns often associated with trauma. Communication with people who use CBT to address their psychological issues shows that has numerous positive effects on individuals’ lives.
Language
Speaking about recovery, it is also necessary to admit language as one of the fundamental tools for helping patients. The problem is that, in numerous cases, traumatic events cannot be put into words by patients (Van der Kolk, 2014). They cannot process the intense emotions, pain, and fear they experienced in the past (Van der Kolk, 2014). Moreover, traumatized patients prefer to suppress their emotions and avoid speaking about pain or issues associated with it. However, the first step to recovery is acknowledging what happened and naming it (Van der Kolk, 2014). If a person hides from himself/herself the fact that he/she was hurt, he/she cannot speak about it and acquire necessary help. For this reason, the primary goal of any therapy is to make the individual speak, accept the problem, and ready to share it.
From personal experience, it is possible to admit the critical importance of language when interacting with traumatized people and addressing distress. The inability to accept the exitance of the problem is the critical barrier to its discussion and treatment. However, choosing the right words is difficult because of the strong emotions that might prevent a person from being open and formulating the problem. Moreover, it is possible to admit the feeling of shame and stigma that might be related to some personal traumas linked to abuse. In these cases, people prefer to avoid speaking about the causes of their states due to the fear of being judged. However, individuals admit a significant relief when they find the way to speak about traumatic experiences and discuss them with others. It makes them ready to start working and recognize the existence of the problem. For this reason, language and communication are the tools that can be viewed as most potent ones and recommended to overcome barriers and help people with trauma speak about their issues.
Body and Yoga
Interacting with traumatized people, it is possible to notice that their bodies often send signals about the problems they have. Muscle tension, feelings of disintegration in specific body areas, or numbing are the results of severe trauma and the work of the alarm system (Milton H. Erickson Foundation, 2013). As a result, individuals cannot relax, and their bodies show it. Moreover, the changes in breathing indicate high-stress levels. Heart rate variability (HRM) shows the work of the autonomic nervous system and its current state (Van der Kolk, 2014). The poor HRM shows a lack of fluctuation in heart rate in response to breathing (Van der Kolk, 2014). It impacts people’s ability to manage stress and provide appropriate responses. Thus, approaches helping to control this aspect, such as yoga, might be effective when working with patients and helping them to control their bodies.
My real-life experiences prove the effectiveness of yoga practices and their positive impact on traumatized people. This program consists of breath practices, stretches or postures, and meditation (Van der Kolk, 2014). All these elements are vital for people who have issues controlling their bodies and thoughts because of distress. For instance, a 38-year-old woman suffering from psychological trauma stated that yoga helped her to resolve several problems simultaneously. Stretches made her body more flexible and reduced the cases when she felt numbness. Moreover, breath practices taught her how to control her stress levels when she felt distressed or had a flashback. During their panic reactions, people feel helpless and extremely vulnerable (Milton H. Erickson Foundation, 2013). Yoga helps to control it and avoid the emergence of this state. She also admitted the helpfulness of meditation as a way to avoid negative thinking and develop positive moods. It became the first step in her recovery and acquiring better control over her body. In such a way, yoga can be recommended as one of the practical tools to help traumatized people. Additionally, its availability makes it one of the first choices that can be offered to individuals suffering from bodily symptoms.
Diversity of Approaches
Finally, working with trauma, it is critical to realize the fact that, in most cases, people want to learn how to control themselves. However, they can engage in new practices or processes only if they feel safe (Van der Kolk, 2014). A psychologist should focus on how trauma is encoded and address it using specific methods and approaches (Van der Kolk, 2014). At the same time, the brain areas and responses to specific stressors might also be changed under the impact of abuse or other strong stressors (Milton H. Erickson Foundation, 2013). As a result, individuals acquire a set of psychological problems that should be addressed in different ways. Choosing a method might be a continuous process depending on the progress and the patients’ needs. However, it is vital to avoid employing single approaches for every patient as it might result in poor outcomes.
In real-life scenarios, numerous approaches to working with trauma benefit people suffering from it. I knew man suffering from trauma who had little progress using traditional therapy. He had flashbacks, muscle pain, and the inability to focus. Following his psychologist’s recommendation, he shifted to CBT which became more effective and helped to avoid negative thinking and fear. Moreover, yoga helped to control his bodily reactions and avoid pain. The example proves that treating trauma is a complex and prolonged process requiring increased attention to every case and the selection of methods that might be useful for a certain client.
Conclusion
Altogether, healing and recovering from trauma is a complex and long process. It requires addressing all symptoms found in traumatized people. These include changes in the work of the brain, addressing its activation, responses to threats, bodily signs, and psychological factors. For this reason, there is a set of various practices focused on helping patients and meeting their needs. CBT, yoga, using neuroscience practices, or building self are potent tools to treat traumatized patients. The experiences from real life show that the advances in understanding trauma provide clients with new methods that might be useful for them. At the same time, it is vital to ensure that every case is viewed as a unique one and that approaches to address existing symptoms are selected correctly. From my own experiences, communication and language, CBT, and yoga practices are the most common, affordable, available, and effective methods that can be recommended to individuals with trauma. They can reduce the severity of bodily symptoms, alter thinking patterns, and help to make the first step toward recovery.
References
Milton H. Erickson Foundation. (2013). The body keeps score: Integration of mind, brain, and body in the treatment of trauma [Video]. Alexander Street. Web.
Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score. Penguin.