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Self-Help Strategies for Healing after Trauma

Jeff Mowery

Image Credit @ashlynciara

Trauma, a deeply distressing or disturbing experience, often leaves profound and lasting impacts on an individual's mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Understanding the nature of trauma, its various forms, and the journey toward healing is crucial. Here, we hope to provide insights into self-help strategies for healing after trauma, emphasizing the importance of treating oneself with love and respect during these vulnerable times. Remember, your trauma does not define you; it's a part of your unique story, a testament to your strength and serenity.

What is Trauma?

Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, 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.

Types of Trauma and Severity

Trauma can be categorized into acute, chronic, and complex forms. 

Acute trauma results from a single distressing event, chronic trauma is repeated and prolonged such as domestic violence or abuse, and complex trauma is exposure to varied and multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature.

Research highlights that multiple traumatic experiences cumulatively increase the risk for severe symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)​​. The impact of traumatic events depends not only on their severity and duration but also on the individual's self-evaluation of these events​​.

Examples of Traumatic Events

  • Acute Trauma: Examples include witnessing a death, a serious accident, or a natural disaster.

  • Chronic Trauma: Recurring events like abuse, bullying, or long-term illness.

  • Complex Trauma: Exposure to varied and multiple traumatic events.

An Individualized Journey

The process of healing from trauma varies significantly among individuals. Several factors contribute to why some people might have more difficulty recovering than others. These include:

  • Previous Traumatic Experiences: Individuals with prior traumatic experiences, especially in childhood, may find it harder to cope with new trauma. A study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress found that past trauma can compound the effects of new traumatic experiences, making recovery more challenging (Cloitre, M., Stolbach, B. C., Herman, J. L., van der Kolk, B., Pynoos, R., Wang, J., & Petkova, E., 2009).

  • Support Systems: The presence or absence of a strong support system plays a crucial role in the healing process. Research indicates that individuals with a robust support network tend to recover more effectively from trauma (Ullman, S. E., 1999, Journal of Community Psychology).

  • Individual Resilience: Personal resilience factors, such as optimism and self-efficacy, significantly impact the ability to recover from trauma. A study in Psychological Science suggested that individual differences in resilience influence recovery outcomes (Ong, A. D., Bergeman, C. S., & Boker, S. M., 2009).

  • Access to Resources: Access to mental health services, including therapy and medication, is crucial for recovery. Unfortunately, not everyone has equal access to these resources, which can affect their recovery journey (Galea, S., Nandi, A., & Vlahov, D., 2005, Epidemiologic Reviews).

  • Biological Factors: Genetic predisposition can also play a role in how individuals respond to trauma. Research in the field of epigenetics has shown that trauma can lead to changes in gene expression, affecting how one copes with stress (Yehuda, R., & LeDoux, J., 2007, Nature Reviews Neuroscience).

Self-Help Strategies for Healing After Trauma

The largest and most crucial part of the healing journey is adopting self-help strategies. These strategies are personal and can vary from one individual to another.

  • Accept Support: Leaning on friends, relatives, and partners for emotional support can be incredibly helpful​​.

  • Physical Movement: Activities like yoga, walking, or other forms of exercise can significantly aid in trauma recovery.

  • Mindfulness and Meditation: Practices like mindfulness and meditation can provide mental space for healing and reflection​​.

  • Journaling: Writing down thoughts and feelings can be a therapeutic way to process emotions.

  • Trauma-Focused Therapies: Approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) have been shown to reduce PTSD symptoms significantly​​.

Seeking Professional Help

It's important to recognize when self-help strategies may need to be supplemented with professional assistance. Seeking therapeutic services can be a vital step in the healing journey, especially for individuals struggling with intense or persistent trauma symptoms.

Your journey of healing from trauma is deeply personal, and it's essential to approach it with patience and kindness towards yourself. Use the strategies that resonate with you and remember, seeking professional help is a courageous step towards recovery. Your experiences, no matter how difficult, are chapters in your life story, reflecting your resilience and strength.

References

  1. Cloitre, M., Stolbach, B. C., Herman, J. L., van der Kolk, B., Pynoos, R., Wang, J., & Petkova, E. (2009). A developmental approach to complex PTSD: Childhood and adult cumulative trauma as predictors of symptom complexity. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 22(5), 399-408.

  2. Galea, S., Nandi, A., & Vlahov, D. (2005). The epidemiology of post-traumatic stress disorder after disasters. Epidemiologic Reviews, 27(1), 78-91.

  3. National Center for Biotechnology Information. (n.d.). A Review of PTSD and Current Treatment Strategies. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

  4. National Center for Biotechnology Information. (n.d.). Trauma‐focused guided self‐help interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

  5. National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Coping With Traumatic Events. Retrieved from https://www.nimh.nih.gov

  6. Ong, A. D., Bergeman, C. S., & Boker, S. M. (2009). Resilience comes of age: Defining features in later adulthood. Journal of Personality, 77(6), 1777-1804.

  7. Rousseau, D. (n.d.). Strategies of Self-Care in Trauma. Boston University. Retrieved from https://sites.bu.edu

  8. Springer. (n.d.). Trauma-Informed Self-care: Emotional and Spiritual. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com

  9. Ullman, S. E. (1999). Social support and recovery from sexual assault: A review. Journal of Community Psychology, 27(3), 221-243.

  10. Verywell Mind. (2023). How to Heal From Trauma: 10 Strategies That Can Help. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com

  11. Yehuda, R., & LeDoux, J. (2007). Response variation following trauma: A translational neuroscience approach to understanding PTSD. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 8(5), 411-424.