Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing experience. It can be caused by an event that is physically and/or emotionally harmful. For example, a car accident, natural disaster, violence, or sexual abuse. Trauma can also be caused by an event that threatens your life or the life of someone close to you.
Trauma is bad for your mental health because it can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a mental health condition that is triggered by a terrifying event. It can cause flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety. PTSD can make it hard to continue with your everyday life. Considering these factors, the need for trauma treatment couldn’t be clearer.
In fact, it can be difficult to get past trauma. Why? Because it can change the way you think about yourself and the world. Trauma can make you feel unsafe, helpless, and alone. You may feel like you will never be able to trust anyone again. It is important to get help from a mental health professional if you are struggling to cope with trauma. With treatment, you can begin to heal and move on. Call us today at 866.238.3154 for more information.
Understanding How Trauma Affects You
Traumatic events happen when we least expect them, and they have a way of uncovering and exposing flaws that we never knew we had. After trauma, some individuals lose interest in doing things that once brought them pleasure. They feel down, depressed and hopeless. Some have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or sleeping too much. Many individuals feel bad about themselves, feel like a failure in some way, or feel like they have not only let themselves down, but let their family and friends down as well. Often, areas concerning safety, trust, self-esteem, intimacy and power and control have been affected in some way as well.
At the center of how we feel once a traumatic event or events have occurred, is how we have processed our thoughts around the event(s). Thoughts that stem from trauma can often become very distorted and maladaptive and leave us feeling “stuck.” These thoughts are often referred to as “stuck points,” for that very reason. Examples of stuck points include: “I am ugly,” “I can never let my guard down,” “My needs are unimportant,” “Asking for help is a sign of weakness,” “I will never know what it is like to feel truly loved,” and “I will never experience true happiness.”
Getting Past “Stuck Points”
In order for us to challenge these “stuck points,” we must come up with alternative ways of looking at our situation using facts. We can ask questions to determine if our “stuck points” are based out of factual evidence, or based on overwhelming feelings that we are having. Is there factual evidence for our “stuck point”? Is their factual evidence against our “stuck point”? Has our “stuck point” become more of a habit that we have been telling ourselves, or is it based on facts? What is the probability that our “stuck point” is completely factual?
At Santé, we offer a 4-day Therapy Intensive Workshop, “Mindful Transformation: Redefining Your Trauma,” that teaches participants to learn to challenge their own way of thinking utilizing a therapy approach called, ‘Cognitive Processing Therapy.’ During the Therapy Intensive Workshop, workshop participants are taught a new way to handle the upsetting thoughts they have as a result of trauma. Participants will not be asked to share specific details about their trauma, but will be asked to talk about their beliefs and feelings related to their trauma instead.
Get Help Today
If you, or someone you know, is looking to heal and find hope after trauma, please contact Lisa King, our Intensive Workshop Therapist, to learn more about this 4-day workshop experience. She can be reached by email or by calling her at
940-293-7117.
To reserve a spot in our workshop or learn more about any aspect of addiction or mental health treatment, give us a call at 866.238.3154.
