5 Aspects of Trauma Healing

The journey of healing from a traumatic event is often unpredictable, as each person will experience trauma differently. Healing from trauma, just like grief, involves stages and sometimes feels like no progress is being made. However, if you go through the trauma healing journey, you will come out the other side more resilient than you were before.

5 Aspects of Trauma Healing

1) Working through denial

If you are reading this today, it is likely that you have experienced trauma in some way. It could have been adverse childhood experiences, often called ACEs. Maybe it is a more recent event in your life. Perhaps you are recognizing the signs of a toxic situation in a romantic relationship, at work, or in a friendship.

There is a part of you that doesn’t want to admit that you have been traumatized. You may rationalize that if you just continue to ignore it, the feelings will go away. Unfortunately, though, denying your trauma will have a negative impact on your life, likely in the form of anger or depression.

2) Processing anger

Anger may not just be a symptom of suppressed trauma. You may also feel angry about experiencing trauma at all. You may feel that you have every right to be angry about the way you were treated, or how an event occurred. Learning to deal with that anger is going to involve learning how to forgive and how to set boundaries, particularly if the trauma was caused by someone you trusted or loved.

3) Managing depression and anxiety

Being traumatized can trigger a variety of reactions. Depending on your personality you may become anxious, deal with catastrophic thinking, or even struggle with panic attacks. Perhaps you have turned inward and lost interest in things you once loved.

As you work on healing your trauma, there will be a variety of physical and emotional responses. Let each one pass through and then you can move on to the next. Tears are healing. Breathing exercises and mindfulness are helpful means of coping with depression and anxiety.

4) Accepting reality

Nobody wants to have trauma. However, if you have experienced it, accepting that you have it will allow you to become capable of healing. Healing is not hiding from your trauma but rather, facing it and letting it be just one part of your story.

5) Building resilience

When you have been through and healed from one traumatic event or experience, you will learn skills of coping that help you face other difficult and potentially traumatic experiences in your life. Not all hard things will traumatize you if you have learned to trust yourself in the process.

Resources for overcoming trauma

Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment, without judgment. It can help to reframe your thinking from negative to positive by allowing you to observe your thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in them.

Journaling is a great way to express your feelings and get them out of your head. It can help you to process trauma and to make sense of your experiences. Exercise is also an exceptional way to release stress hormones that flood the system when trauma is experienced.

Lastly, talking to a counselor or therapist can be a helpful way to process trauma and learn how to cope with the effects of trauma. A therapist at Mission Viejo Christian Counseling can provide you with support, guidance, and tools to help you heal.

When you go to therapy for trauma healing, you can expect a short-term, highly focused experience. This differs from a more weekly approach. Your counselor will give you a safe space to express the anger, sorrow, fear, and anxiety that has accompanied your trauma.

Reaching out

If you are ready for trauma counseling in Mission Viejo, please reach out to our offices today at Mission Viejo Christian Counseling. We will gladly connect you to a Christian mental health counselor in Mission Viejo who will walk with you on your journey to freedom and wholeness.