Unaddressed trauma often leaves us facing challenges across every aspect of our lives. The wounds left behind from any kind of trauma are often sitting deeper than we even realize, begging to be addressed and properly treated. There is hope and light at the end of the tunnel, hope for healing and well being after trauma. One of the proven most effective methods of treating past trauma is cognitive behavioral therapy.
How Does CBT Help With Trauma?
Why is CBT a good treatment for trauma? Trauma can greatly affect your mental health, leading to depression, anxiety, difficulty coping, self-harm, intrusive thoughts, and more. CBT can address the core of your trauma and help you regain a sense of self and mental wellness through the restructuring of your established thought patterns. The basis of CBT is to identify and challenge thought patterns that are not serving you. By challenging and changing negative thought patterns, your behavior naturally follows. Through this process of owning the power your mind has over your behavior, you learn effective coping skills, process your trauma, and regain control over your life. CBT therapists for trauma can help guide you through the learning curve of identifying your negative thought patterns and how to challenge these unhelpful thoughts.
What are the Techniques in CBT for Trauma?
There are various methods used in CBT that aid in healing from trauma. Thought restructuring helps reframe negative thoughts and beliefs that have arisen from the traumatic experience. These distorted thinking patterns need to be challenged and addressed so that you can have a balanced and realistic perspective.
As a trauma survivor, you may have triggers that take you back to the trauma. Exposure therapy is a part of CBT therapy for trauma where you are gradually exposed to your triggers in a safe environment so that you learn methods of coping and confronting the resulting emotional response. Over time, this will reduce the intensity of the reaction you have to the trauma so that the triggers hold no more power. Another way of dealing with your trauma-related symptoms is to learn skills to manage your emotions and reactions in daily life situations. You may learn grounding techniques, ways to relax in stressful moments, methods of asserting yourself effectively, and how to handle intense emotional responses. The goal of these skill-building activities is to help you navigate your responses, triggers, and potential curveballs that life may send your way.
Another technique used often in treating trauma with CBT is education about the mind-body connection. Oftentimes, trauma is stored in the body. CBT focuses highly on the mind and yet it doesn’t forget about addressing the body’s stored responses to trauma. Cognitive behavioral therapy teaches you how to tune back into your body and regain a sense of calm in your nervous system.
Best Mental Health Clinic for Trauma Mississippi
When it comes to seeking cognitive behavioral therapy for trauma in Mississippi, Lighthouse Healing Center is here for you! Our compassionate clinicians and therapists have specialized training and expertise in trauma-informed CBT. Your treatment plan is designed specifically for you, based on your unique needs, and we address your mental health concerns comprehensively. Our outpatient treatment programs for trauma enable you to continue with your daily life, whether it’s work, school, or family needs that you must attend to. Give Lighthouse Healing Center a call today and let us help you gain control over your past trauma!
