Healing trauma is a very delicate journey that takes time. Threads of trauma can linger in your body long after the traumatic event is over. For that reason, it’s important to take your healing one step at a time.
Threads of Trauma: Lasting Effects
Trauma can be extremely complex, affecting individuals in many different ways. Some people will be able to process their traumas quickly. Many others, however, will have to deal with the threads of trauma and its long-term effects.
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), trauma is “a common experience for adults and children in American communities, and it is especially common in the lives of people with mental and substance use disorders.”
Addressing trauma has been increasingly seen as an essential part of treatment and an integral part of recovery. When you can heal your trauma, you will be able to overcome your struggles more completely.
Re-Traumatization and Long-Term Effects
Re-traumatization can occur in many ways, well after the traumatic event has passed. Many people may not even realize re-traumatization is happening. Certain triggers, stresses, and uncomfortable experiences can all trigger trauma memories within you. When this happens, it can lead to a worsened mental state or may even lead someone to use substances to cope.
According to another publication by SAMHSA, trauma affects everyone differently and it can have both immediate and long-term effects. This is why it’s important never to judge yourself or your reaction to trauma. Understanding that your trauma is unique to you is one of the first steps in healing.
Threads of Trauma in Your Body
In recent years, research has been increasingly dedicated to trauma and its lingering effects on the body. Many treatment programs have also placed a strong focus on these threads of trauma. As a result, therapies and strategies have emerged to help you heal more holistically.
Emotional Dysregulation
According to SAMHSA, some trauma survivors have difficulty “regulating emotions such as anger, anxiety, sadness, and shame.” This is known as emotional dysregulation. This type of dysregulation is especially common for those who have experienced childhood trauma.
Emotional dysregulation can be considered another thread of trauma with long-term implications. Many people self-medicate with substances in an effort to gain emotional control. Unfortunately, this just leads to further emotional issues.
Coming Back to a Regulated Emotional State
A great way to begin regulating your emotions again is to find practices that calm your nervous system. Meditation, mindfulness, breathing exercises, and yoga are all great ways to come back to a regulated state.
After a traumatic event, the chemical cortisol can be released in your body in excess. This is the same chemical that is responsible for feelings of fear and anxiety. Emotional regulation techniques can help you reduce these cortisol levels so you can feel more relaxed and in control.
Body Memories
The threads of trauma can also be energetically stored in your body. Because of this, traditional behavioral treatments can’t always help you heal on deeper levels. To process these energetic stores, body therapies like somatic therapy can be used.
When a traumatic event occurs, a stress response is initiated. Long-term effects of trauma will continue coming up in your life if this stress response was never actually completed. Bodily healing processes like somatic experiencing aim to help you release energy from your body, thus completing the stress response.
Somatic Experiencing
According to a 2017 study in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, somatic experiencing is a “body‐focused therapy” that creates an “awareness of inner physical sensations” that are thought to carry the traumatic memory.
Somatic experiencing usually consists of light body movements and awareness of various sensations you may be experiencing. Sometimes it may be helpful to recall a traumatic memory and see where you feel any sensations in your body. You can then isolate this area and even visualize the energy being released.
Since trauma healing is such a delicate process, it is important to use treatments like somatic experiencing with a trained professional. Many quality treatment centers, like The Guest House, actually offer somatic therapy to heal trauma. Doing this therapy at a place like The Guest House will ensure you are in a safe and supportive environment.
Healing the Threads of Trauma at the Guest House
Here at The Guest House, our main mission is to help you overcome your struggles and heal the traumas associated with them. We are a cutting-edge, trauma-specific care center that provides a whole range of therapies to address trauma’s multidimensional impact on your mind, body, and spirit.
Emotional, Mental, and Physical Healing
Our somatic therapy program is just one modality we offer that can help you heal trauma’s threads on a body-focused level. Highly-trained staff will help you process lingering energy and memories safely and effectively.
We offer many other therapies to help you heal on an emotional, mental, and physical level. Modalities like meditation and yoga can help you release pent-up stress by bringing you back to a calm and emotionally-regulated state.
At our facility, you can also explore adventure therapy and other outdoor activities. These modalities can help you regain a sense of excitement while reaping the many healing benefits of the great outdoors.
Traditional Treatments
Even though trauma can live in the body, it’s also important to heal your mind. Our tried-and-true talk therapies in individual and group settings can help you process difficult memories and connect with peers who understand your experiences.
At The Guest House, you will find the right tools, therapies, and support to heal whatever traumas you may have faced.
The lasting threads of trauma can be extremely complex to unravel. Trauma can have long-term effects that will live in your body long after the event has passed. At The Guest House, we take trauma treatment seriously because we understand how difficult it can be to live with unprocessed trauma. We are a trauma-specific care center that provides a large range of therapies to help you heal your body, mind, and spirit. Our somatic therapy program can help you release trauma through the body on an energetic level. We also offer healing modalities like yoga, meditation, and breath work that can help you regulate your emotions, feel calm, and find inner peace. Call us today at (855) 483-7800.