Trauma Therapy Goals: What To Expect After Trauma Treatment
Trauma can be defined as an emotional response to a devastating event, like a crime, accident, natural disaster, neglect, or abuse. For some people, the effects of a traumatic event can be long-lasting. People may experience flashbacks, unpredictable emotions, or physical symptoms like nausea and headaches.
Trauma therapy to manage the impact of a traumatic event
Trauma therapy is a type of talk therapy that is primarily designed to help people manage the impact of trauma on their lives. A trauma therapist is typically trained to help people process dangerous, abusive, scary, or life-threatening experiences. There are different types of trauma therapy to help people overcome these challenges, including cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative therapy, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.
Trauma therapy goals: Types of trauma therapy and their objectives
Mental health interventions in the first 48 hours of a traumatic event
In the first 48 hours after a traumatic event, interventions usually focus on meeting basic needs, like food, shelter, and water, to provide support and instill a sense of safety. Mental health interventions in this phase typically aim to provide a calm, supportive, and caring environment and lay the foundation for psychological recovery. Beyond the initial trauma response, other interventions are likely to be needed.
Therapy approaches for trauma treatment plan
PTSD treatment goals usually depend on the person’s treatment plan and the type of treatment they’re seeking. Here are some common approaches to trauma therapy and their primary treatment goals.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is generally based on the idea that thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all connected and that changing one's thoughts can affect their behavior. There are several varieties of CBT, including the following:
- Cognitive processing therapy (CPT): CPT is a 12-session treatment approach for groups or individuals. It usually combines elements of exposure therapy and CBT. According to the National Center for PTSD, the main goal of CPT is to “identify the patient's stuck points and, through cognitive restructuring, help the patient to arrive at more accurate, balanced interpretations of the event.”
- Exposure therapy: Exposure therapy normally requires people to explore trauma-related emotions, memories, objects, and places. They may experience intense emotions initially, but these should decrease with time as the person becomes less sensitive to the traumatic materials through repeated encounters. This type of therapy usually aims to help people face their fears. It is often considered a front-line treatment for people experiencing flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, avoidance, pain, or fear related to the trauma they’ve experienced.
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing
Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a widely used treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trauma. The goal is generally to help the person process the experience that is causing them distress. EMDR can do this by stimulating bilateral brain activity that can affect how the memory of the traumatic experience is stored in the brain.
Narrative therapy
Narrative therapy is generally based on the idea that the stories we tell ourselves make up our self-perceptions and identities. Some of these stories may be helpful, and others may be less constructive. Narrative therapy typically focuses on helping people rewrite the stories they tell themselves in a more balanced way by reframing and questioning the events of their past.
Treatment plan and realistic trauma therapy goals
Treatment plans for clients are tailored to their unique experiences and needs. Hence, the treatment plan of one person for trauma may be different from the others. Further, the treatment plan must be flexible and able to change based on the client’s progress. Trauma therapy goals must be realistic and achievable to keep the client motivated and avoid frustrations.
Post-traumatic growth
The approaches to trauma therapy discussed above may each involve processing trauma in a different way, but they all share a similar overarching goal: to help people process their emotions about the event and mitigate any long-lasting effects of trauma.
The positive changes that can occur in a person during the aftermath of trauma are sometimes referred to as post-traumatic growth (PTG). When people experience PTG, they may develop a new understanding of themselves, their world, and how they relate to others. PTG usually differs from resilience in that it’s not about someone’s ability to bounce back but instead how someone who has difficulty bouncing back manages an event, challenges their core beliefs, manages the psychological struggle, and finds personal growth.
Signs of post-traumatic growth
Signs of post-traumatic growth can include an appreciation of life, positive changes in relationships with others, spiritual shifts, and increased personal strength.
Trauma therapy does not always focus directly on post-traumatic growth, as this could be misconstrued as minimizing the trauma and encouraging someone who has experienced trauma to “just move on” from it. Instead, therapists may encourage people to understand that growth after trauma is possible while aligning their progress with treatment goals and helping them overcome their emotions related to traumatic events.
How to know if you’re healing
Healing from trauma can take time. Everyone is different, but there are some signs to look for to determine whether you are healing during and after treatment.
Some signs that you are healing from trauma
- You may notice your muscles relax, your breathing slow, and your gut health improves. Trauma can stimulate your body’s fight-or-flight response, which, among other things, can cause muscle tension, GI disturbances, and rapid, shallow breathing. As you begin to heal, your body may realize that it is safe, leading to less muscle tension, relaxed breathing, and improved gut health.
- You may start to sense that you are safe in your body. As you learn to process the trauma, symptoms like hypervigilance and easy startle responses may begin to subside, which can help you feel more at ease in your own skin.
- You may stop experiencing flashbacks, or experiences that lead you to sense that you’re reliving a traumatic event. When you no longer experience flashbacks, it can be a sign that you’re healing from trauma.
- You may no longer go out of your way to avoid triggers. When you learn to place traumatic experiences in the past rather than reliving them in the present, it can lessen the need to avoid triggers.
- Your sleep may improve. Unresolved trauma can lead to hypervigilance and make it difficult to fully relax, leading to poor sleep quality. As you heal and improve your emotional regulation skills, your brain may begin to realize you are not in danger, allowing you to get more restful sleep.
Getting help for post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health concerns
Getting treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder can help you learn to process traumatic memories and gain coping skills to move forward in your life. If you aren’t sure where to start, talk to your doctor. In some cases, your physician may prescribe anti-anxiety medications, and they will likely recommend talk therapy.
Online therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder
If you’re interested in talking to a mental health professional, consider online treatment. With an online platform like BetterHelp, you can work with a qualified mental health professional from the comfort of your home at a time that works for you. There are more than 30,000 providers on the platform, and you can change therapists at any time until you find the right fit.
In addition to being flexible and convenient, research has shown that online treatment can effectively treat a range of mental health conditions, including PTSD.
Takeaway
What is the goal of trauma treatment?
Trauma treatment's goal is to guide and help individuals regulate things that trigger strong emotions, develop some effective coping strategies, and even process traumatic memories and events to improve their overall well-being. With the help of dialectical behavior therapy, cognitive processing therapy, and prolonged exposure, patients can actually enhance their emotional regulation and work through the PTSD symptoms they have. It is also helpful to have a comprehensive PTSD treatment plan, and it may include relaxation techniques, support systems to foster healing, gradual exposure, progressive muscle relaxation, and deep breathing. An individual can achieve the healing journey through a fulfilling life and create a positive self-image in their own recovery ways as long as they address low self-esteem and improve their interpersonal relationships.
What is the aim of trauma-focused therapy?
Supporting the healing process by helping individuals with their PTSD symptoms and traumatic memories, such as childhood trauma, be processed in a more structured and safer way is one of the aims of this therapy. Individuals can learn different coping strategies to manage anxiety disorders and regulate emotions through the help of individual therapy. Somatic experiencing and prolonged exposure are some of the evidence-based approaches that can be very helpful as well to an individual. A comprehensive PTSD treatment plan is needed to improve low self-esteem, enhance interpersonal relationships, and strengthen support systems. Knowing how to address low self-esteem and have a very supportive network, this therapy can help a person’s life improve and be better.
What are example goals for a treatment plan?
Some examples of treatment goals for a treatment plan are reducing PTSD symptoms, improving interpersonal relationships, and having better self-esteem. Trauma processing is being focused on this treatment process. It would be possible with the help of gradual exposure and individual therapy. Mindfulness exercises and relaxation techniques are also involved in achieving the goals. They address challenges and issues in intimate relationships, and they guide to enhance overall well-being. A PTSD treatment plan is created for individuals with complex PTSD. In the treatment plan, it includes different strategies for processing emotions and feelings, building a support system with trauma-informed care, and improving sleep quality at night.
What is the most effective therapy for trauma?
Two of the most effective therapies for PTSD treatment are prolonged exposure therapy and cognitive processing therapy. They focus on reducing symptoms and help you achieve your personalized PTSD treatment goals.
What is the primary goal of trauma patient assessment?
The primary goal of trauma patient assessment is to have clear treatment goals that can help guide an individual with their recovery and care.
What are the goals of relational trauma treatment?
The relational trauma treatment goals are to help patients and individuals with complex PTSD to rebuild connections, support trauma processing, and reduce or lessen PTSD symptoms. This treatment process aims to enhance improving relationships, develop coping strategies for those individuals who are affected by sexual assault or other forms of relational trauma, and improve self-esteem. Relaxation techniques, mindfulness exercises, and gradual exposure are included in a PTSD treatment plan to help manage stress. Seeking the help and guidance of healthcare providers can address other similar symptoms, and they can integrate trauma-informed care.
What is a long-term goal for trauma treatment?
A long-term goal is to promote the emotional healing of an individual, improve self-esteem, and reduce PTSD symptoms. Working with professional healthcare providers for those individuals with a complex disorder is a must. They can help you develop effective coping strategies, enhance your well-being, and address challenges related to various types of trauma, like sexual assault. There are some other PTSD treatment goals, such as using gradual exposure to process trauma, improving sleep quality, and using and following the key components of a PTSD treatment plan.
What is the purpose of trauma-informed therapy?
Providing a safe and supportive approach to PTSD treatment by addressing PTSD symptoms is one of the purposes of trauma-informed therapy. Recognizing some of the impacts of trauma on individuals with a complex disorder are also being recognized in this therapy. Developing effective PTSD treatment goals is one of the main focuses here, as well as promoting healing while considering those key components of recovery. A PTSD checklist can also be a big help in managing all symptoms effectively, especially with the help of a therapist in achieving the PTSD treatment goals.
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