
You’ve been through a traumatic event and now you find yourself wondering “How in the world do I heal from this?”
You may not realize it was traumatic at the time and were on autopilot navigating through the chaos. Regardless of how you managed during the trauma, now it’s time to work towards recovery and move forward.
As an Atlanta, GA therapist, I know how difficult it is to navigate life after a traumatic event. You feel as though everything is up in the air and you don’t know how to trust yourself anymore. You might even be questioning whether the event was trauma, or instead a very rough time. As you navigate this time, you deserve support! Read on to learn more from a trained therapist from our team.
What is Trauma?
Trauma occurs when an event leaves its mark on an individual in a life-altering way. The traumatic event doesn’t have to be death or sexual assault. It can be something like a car accident or being often berated or threatened. Different people have different trauma thresholds as well. What one person experiences as traumatic may not affect another person in the same way. This is OK!
When looking at trauma experiences, there are two types of trauma, simple and complex. Simple trauma is when one incident occurs which qualifies as traumatic. This can be something like a natural disaster or car accident that leaves a tremendous impact on you. Complex trauma is the result of ongoing trauma. This may include witnessing or being a survivor of domestic abuse.
3 Ways to Work Towards Healing From Trauma
Recovering from a traumatic event is difficult and can take time and energy. But it is worth it and has a long-lasting impact on your quality of life and mental health. If you are living with the aftermath of trauma, here are a few steps you can take to begin healing from trauma.
Acknowledge the trauma
One of the first things you need to do to work towards healing from trauma is to acknowledge that the event was, in fact, traumatic. So often we downplay or reduce our experiences to make them seem less impactful than they were. This serves as a protective measure. But, you still have to accept and acknowledge that the event was traumatic to move forward from it. You may experience symptoms of PTSD or not. Regardless, the first step to healing from a traumatic event is to acknowledge the trauma involved.
Feel through it
There is no way around it. You HAVE to feel the feelings involved in experiencing a traumatic event. It can be tempting to bottle up your emotions and not think about them. But, that can lead to catastrophic mental health issues and well, just doesn’t work. Feeling through a traumatic event can be scary and may need a professional to guide you. They can help you through the emotions and help you stay safe. Our team of trained therapists is skilled at helping you navigate feeling the emotions that come up when processing trauma.
Care for yourself!
The most important thing you can do after experiencing trauma is to be kind to yourself. I would challenge you to be kind to yourself even if you don’t think you’ve experienced trauma. We are currently coming out of a very traumatic event: the Covid 19 pandemic. None of us were prepared for that or knew what to do. We felt powerless and out of control as we watched things unfold. There are many great ways to take care of yourself. It may be a message with your favorite massage therapist or a fancy coffee drink from a local coffee shop. You don’t have to spend a lot of money or time to take care of yourself. Figure out what works for you and practice it! We call it a self-care practice for a reason. It takes a degree of time and effort to relearn how to take care of yourself!
Begin Working With a Therapist in Roswell, GA at Wellview Counseling
Do you find yourself experiencing the symptoms of PTSD or have recently been through a traumatic event? If so, it might be time to consider counseling at Wellview Counseling in Atlanta, GA. Our team of caring therapists can offer support in-person and online. To start your counseling journey, please follow these simple steps:
- Contact Wellview Counseling
- Meet with a caring therapist
- Start receiving the support you deserve!
Other Services Offered at Wellview Counseling
Trauma therapy isn’t the only service offered at Wellview Counseling. Our team of therapists is also happy to offer a variety of services to support children, individuals, teens, and families. These services include treatment for anxiety, depression, PTSD, chronic illness, and postpartum anxiety and depression. Feel free to also learn more about our social groups for kids, or visit our blog today!