What is Trauma Types Symptoms and Treatments

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What is Trauma? Types, Symptoms, and Treatments
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What is Trauma?
Psychological trauma is a response to an event
that a person finds highly stressful. Examples
include being in a war zone, a natural disaster,
or an accident. Trauma can cause a wide range of
physical and emotional symptoms. Not everyone
who experiences a stressful event will develop
trauma. There are also various types of trauma.
Some people will develop symptoms that resolve
after a few weeks, while others will have more
long-term effects. A traumatized person can feel
a range of emotions both immediately after the
event and in the long term. They may feel
overwhelmed, helpless, shocked, or have
difficulty processing their experiences.
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There are 3 types of Trauma
Acute trauma This results from a single
stressful or dangerous event. Chronic
trauma This results from repeated and prolonged
exposure to highly stressful events. Examples
include cases of child abuse, bullying, or
domestic violence. Complex trauma This results
from exposure to multiple traumatic
events. Secondary trauma, or vicarious trauma,
is another form of trauma. With this form of
trauma, a person develops trauma symptoms from
close contact with someone who has experienced a
traumatic event.
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Symptoms

• The symptoms of trauma range from mild to severe
• Many factors determine how a traumatic event
  affects a person, including
• their characteristics
• the presence of other mental health conditions
• previous exposure to traumatic events
• the type and characteristics of the event or
  events
• their background and approach to handling
  emotions

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Treatment
Several treatments can help people with trauma to
cope with their symptoms and improve their
quality of life. Therapy Therapy is a first-line
treatment used by Trauma Psychologist Sydney.
Ideally, an individual will work with a trauma
informed or trauma focused therapist. Types of
therapy a person with trauma could benefit from
include Cognitive behavioural therapy Cognitive
behavioural therapy helps people to change their
thought patterns in order to influence their
behaviours and emotions. Evidence supports CBT as
the most effective approach for PTSD.
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Treatment
Eye movement desensitization and
reprocessing Eye movement desensitization and
reprocessing, or EMDR, is another common trauma
therapy. During EMDR, individuals briefly relive
specific traumatic experiences while the
therapist directs their eye movements. EMDR aims
to help people process and integrate traumatic
memories. Somatic Therapies Some therapists use
somatic or body-based techniques to help the mind
and the body process trauma. These therapies
include Somatic experiencing This approach
involves a therapist helping a person to relive
traumatic memories in a safe space. Sensorimotor
psychotherapy This type of therapy combines
psychotherapy with body-based techniques to turn
traumatic memories into sources of strength.