If you recently heard about trauma therapy, that makes sense. Over the last few years, for better or for worse, your friends, your fam, and the internet at large have become a lot more acquainted with trauma and how to heal it.
Trauma is any disturbing event that scares you, makes you feel helpless, leaves you confused, or stirs up other hard emotions that are so intense that they negatively impact your “attitudes, behavior, and other aspects of functioning” going forward, according to the American Psychological Association (APA).
Whether you grew up in an unsafe environment, witnessed a tragic accident, survived one, or experienced something else traumatic, circumstances like these can scare the shit out of us and shift how we feel and function in everyday life.
But the effects of trauma are as wide-ranging as the things that can traumatize us. On the more intense end of the trauma symptom spectrum, some can have flashbacks, avoid specific people and places, or experience depression, says clinical and forensic psychologist Demara Bennett, PsyD, who specializes in trauma. Some might also develop a trauma- and stressor-related disorder, like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), she says.
If you can relate (or know someone who can) and you’re interested in learning more about how to treat those symptoms with trauma therapy, we got you. Below, we spoke to mental health pros about what trauma therapy is, how it works, and how to find someone to help you work through your struggles.
What is trauma therapy?
Turns out, there’s no official authority that regulates what trauma therapy is, how it’s defined, and who gets to practice it. That makes this question a little tricky to answer. But, on a basic level, trauma therapy is therapy that’s meant to help you heal from thoughts and feelings caused by trauma, says Dr. Bennett.
Yes, any therapist can help you manage mental health struggles stemming from past events or traumas. But a trauma therapist is a mental health professional who specializes in treating trauma- and stressor-related disorders as well as debilitating symptoms of trauma, says clinical psychologist Jessica Punzo, PsyD, president-elect of the APA’s trauma psychology division.
Even though trauma therapists aren’t regulated, they typically seek extra training, like internships and certification programs, to learn how to treat those conditions and challenges, says Dr. Punzo. That makes them better equipped to work with clients whose trauma symptoms are dramatically interfering with their lives.
The therapeutic modalities used in trauma therapy are ones that’ve been shown to improve severe symptoms of trauma or were developed to do so (even if there’s not quite enough evidence yet to prove they work).
Honestly, there are a lot of types of trauma therapy out there, including eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) and prolonged exposure, and your trauma therapist will help you figure out which seems most suited for you, says clinical psychologist Abigail Percifield, PsyD, vice president of the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.
How long trauma therapy takes to work depends on many factors, but it could be as little as six weeks, says Dr. Bennett. Of course, sometimes people need years of treatment, especially if they have the type of long-lasting trauma that usually happens in childhood, aka complex PTSD (C-PTSD), says Dr. Percifield.
How to know if trauma therapy is right for you
If you’ve been dealing with severe trauma symptoms, you’d definitely benefit from finding a trauma therapist. And that’s true even if you’re not sure what brought them on in the first place, says Dr. Punzo. “Trauma is subjective,” she explains. “Therapists are not detectives; they're not here to prove that you had a traumatic experience.” Instead, they’re here to help you deal with the aftermath in a way that feels safe and holds space for whatever you went through.
If you’re in therapy already, you might be wondering if it’s worth finding a trauma therapist to address your symptoms. Ultimately, it’s up to you. If you feel like your therapist is helping you cope with whatever you’ve been through, that’s great! If you’re looking for more trauma-focused treatment from someone with experience treating severe trauma symptoms, it could be worth making the switch. That said, if your therapist suspects you’d benefit from services they can’t provide, it’s best practice for them to refer you to someone who can help, notes trauma psychologist Ayli Carrero Pinedo, PhD. So maybe ask them what they think.
Types of trauma therapy
Like we said, there are lots of different approaches to treating trauma. Some of them have scientific evidence backing up their trauma-healing efficacy, and others don’t. While there’s some debate about the best standard of treatment for severe trauma, below we explain a few trauma therapies mental health pros generally agree are most helpful.
Prolonged exposure (PE)
This is a kind of exposure therapy where you gradually face the fears associated with your trauma. PE teaches you that these memories and situations aren’t actually dangerous, according to the APA.
With your therapist, you’ll describe the trauma as if it’s happening in present tense and record yourself, says Dr. Carrero Pinedo. Replaying this outside of the sessions (homework!) enables you to confront and process emotions that you may have been avoiding, she says.
You’ll also gradually put yourself in real-life situations that trigger your fear associated with the trauma. For example, if crowds really scare you, you might go to the grocery store and just park outside. The next time, you might go to the door and, the time after that, walk in one aisle, Dr. Carrero Pinedo notes. (You get the point!)
Cognitive processing therapy (CPT)
CPT helps you challenge unhelpful beliefs that stem from your trauma, according to the APA. Some of those beliefs might sound like, “I was weak,” or, “I should have done something differently,” or, “If I open up to people, I’ll get hurt.” Whether you’re aware of it or not, these mindsets can keep you stuck, says Dr. Bennett. Over a series of sessions, your therapist can help shift your perspective by prompting you for evidence for or against these thoughts and eventually help you modify your own beliefs around the traumatic event, explains Dr. Carrero Pinedo.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
During an EMDR session, a therapist asks you questions about a traumatic memory while you follow their finger or something else from left to right with your eyes, says Dr. Percifield. Other times a therapist may have you hold a device that vibrates in one hand and then the other, or listen to a sound playing in one ear and then the other with headphones, while asking you questions, she explains. These alternating sensations, sounds, or visuals are examples of bilateral stimulation, which may help make your traumatic memories less vivid and emotional, according to the APA.
It’s not 100% clear why EMDR works, but one theory suggests that doing two things at once—the eye movement or other sensory activity, plus recalling the traumatic memory—disrupts your working memory, and this helps make what you’re remembering less emotional and vivid, according to a systematic review. Paying attention to these two things at once also somehow allows you to access more adaptive information about your environment and yourself—aka info you’ve learned from non-traumatic experiences, like looking at situations realistically, Dr. Percifield explains.
FYI, EMDR can potentially stir up traumatic memories you didn’t know you had, so experiencing them in therapy can feel like a lot, Dr. Percifield says. Maybe that’s not something you’re ready for. But EMDR can be a good option for people who don’t want to do in-person exposures or don’t have time for homework.
Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT)
This one is typically utilized by trauma therapists treating kids and adolescents and their parents or caregivers. It involves exposure work and learning coping skills for dealing with the effects of trauma, per the APA.
The child would also create what Dr. Bennett calls a trauma narrative, where they’d think about the trauma and write about it, paint it, or express it in other ways. “It’s not just a retelling; it’s your opportunity to have more power over the experience,” she says.
Narrative therapy
This kind of therapy is meant to rewrite your life story with “true but more life-enhancing narratives or stories,” per the APA. The theory is that by deconstructing the events of your life, including your trauma and the problems it’s caused, you can put it back together in a more helpful way.
This could be especially helpful when dealing with intergenerational trauma, or racial trauma, says Dr. Carrero Pinedo. “It can really emphasize the resistance of your ancestors, the strength of their survival, and the wisdom that they have carried throughout the years, rather than just focusing solely on the trauma experienced,” she explains.
FWIW, if you suspect you have intergenerational trauma, consider researching traditional healing practices from your cultural or community background, says Dr. Percifield. “[Trauma treatment] doesn’t always have to be [from] a Western lens; we can have music and movement and dance. All those things are also ways of healing,” adds Dr. Carrero Pinedo.
How to find a trauma therapist
Ultimately, a person who calls themself a trauma therapist should have the training to back it up, which might look like certifications in some of the trauma therapies we talked about above. There’s no one certification that a trauma therapist needs to get in order to call themself a specialist in trauma, says Dr. Punzo. And even mental health pros without certifications can have training from reputable trauma orgs and years and years of experience treating trauma, so it’s best to look at a therapist’s full skillset and background, notes Dr. Percifield. You can also check out these directories to up your chances of finding a therapist who specializes and is trained in trauma therapy:
- International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation
- EMDR International Association
- Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy National Therapist Certification Program
- Cognitive Processing Therapy For PTSD
- International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
Once you find someone, hop on the phone or email them to ask what treatments they’re certified in and the kinds of clients they see (they should say that most of their clients are dealing with severe trauma symptoms, complex PTSD, or trauma- and stressor-related disorders).
As you get started with a trauma therapist, check in to ask yourself how you feel during your sessions, suggests Dr. Percifield. Is this type of therapy meeting your needs? Does it feel right for you? Do you feel like you can communicate with your therapist? If so, that’s great! If not, maybe keep looking.
Heads up: It might not feel amazing from the get-go. Being nervous about delving into everything is totally valid, says Dr. Bennett. After all, we tend to avoid things that are emotionally distressing, she notes, and trauma is one of them.
Wondermind does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a replacement for medical advice. Always consult a qualified health or mental health professional with any questions or concerns about your mental health.
