Trauma Counseling for Healing: Understanding the Process and Benefits

By Your Health Magazine

Have you experienced trauma in your past that is currently affecting how you deal with stress, relationships, or everyday life? Trauma, which can be the result of a single incident, repeated exposure to a stressful or disturbing situation, or exposure to multiple traumatic events, can lead to anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, and a number of other symptoms. Fortunately, there is help available in the form of trauma counseling.

Here is more information on the process and benefits of trauma counseling.

The Process of Trauma Counseling for Healing

Though there are a variety of techniques counselors use to help those who have undergone trauma, one of the most successful for this type of work is Somatic Experiencing. This technique helps trauma victims complete self-protective motor responses so their trapped survival energies can be released. It helps patients stay in the present moment and develop a greater capacity to handle stress. During a Somatic Experiencing session, patients can expect the following:

Breathing exercises. Guided breathing exercises help in trauma counseling by bringing the patient back to the present moment and focusing on a single body process to help them deal with activated emotions or physical responses.
Sensation awareness. Being aware of what they are smelling, feeling, seeing, and touching helps ground a patient in his or her body.
Physical and grounding exercises. These exercises can provide guidance to help a patient work through a fight or flight response while staying present.
Talk therapy. A counselor may sit and listen to the patient talk through his or her traumatic experiences and help guide them through the reactions they experience.

Benefits of Trauma Counseling

There are many benefits of getting trauma counseling—especially if a patient is having trouble dealing with daily life or forming relationships. Here are some of the most significant ones:

Re-learning how to trust. Those who have experienced trauma may have trouble trusting anyone in their lives as well as trusting situations and surroundings. Effective trauma counseling can help them rebuild that trust so they can develop thriving relationships and have a healthy outlook on life.
Better physical health. Those experiencing trauma often have trouble sleeping and have other physical symptoms that are the result of storing trauma in the body. Once that trauma is released, physical health often improves.
Better mental health. Trauma often leads to anxiety, depression, fear, and other negative mental symptoms that can be difficult to deal with. Trauma counseling can help mitigate triggers and assist with better mental health.
Improved self-image. Those who have undergone trauma often have poor self-images, a lack of confidence in themselves, and doubt they can navigate the world capably. Effective counseling can help them feel more stable and sure of themselves.

Choosing Trauma Counseling

If you’ve experienced trauma that is affecting your everyday life or your relationships, it’s time to consider trauma counseling. When you find a counselor you trust and who understands the best way to help you process your trauma in a healthy way, you can regain your mental and physical health and be on your way to a better life.