Different forms of trauma therapy
The variety in treatment options is wide: some forms of trauma therapy are well-researched and frequently used, while others are much less known and sometimes even questionable. That does not necessarily mean they cannot be helpful, but it does mean it is good to be critical and not just believe everything.
There is also great variation in what trauma therapy focuses on. For example:
- Reduction of anxiety symptoms and dissociation
- Reducing PTSD symptoms
- Trauma processing
- Improving stress and emotion regulation
- Improving self-image and self-confidence
- Improving Body Image and Your Connection with Your Body
- Bonding Issues
Trauma therapy is tailored to the individual
First and foremost: effective trauma therapy is tailored to the individual. The causes and consequences of trauma differ for everyone and therefore require a treatment that is tailored to each person’s unique situation. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. What if a certain method doesn’t work for you? That’s not your fault. It can be quite a journey.
In addition, good trauma treatment requires expertise and care. If it doesn't help, it sometimes does harm. Therefore, before starting a treatment, it is good to know a bit about what to expect, what to look out for, and what questions you can ask a caregiver about their background and expertise in the field of trauma symptoms.
Sample questions to ask a healthcare provider:
- What is your perspective on trauma, psychological symptoms, and healing?
- What training(s) have you completed, and what is your experience with providing trauma therapy?
- What types of therapy do you provide, and can you tell me something about the differences?
- Which type of therapy do you think is most suitable for my situation, and why?
- As a therapist, what do you think is important in therapy?
- How would you describe your approach or way of working?
- What can I expect from the therapy, roughly? What does a typical session look like?
- Do you involve your close family members in the treatment? And/or is this a possibility?
- How do you deal with a potential relapse, or difficult moments in therapy?
- What happens to the things we discuss in therapy? How is my information protected?
The relationship between you and your therapist is one of the most important elements of effective treatment. You should feel free to ask your therapist any questions that are important to you so that you can begin treatment with confidence. Please do!
Treatment Options in the Information Center
In information desk On Traumanet you can find information about commonly used treatment methods deployed to treat trauma-related complaints. These include trauma treatments specifically aimed at treating PTSD symptoms, such as BEPP en EMDR, but also forms that are deployed more broadly, such as occupational therapy en DGT.
There are treatment methods included that‘"evidence-based"’ are. This means that scientific research has shown that, on average, the treatment works well and is effective for certain symptoms. In addition, there are also forms of treatment that are more ‘"practice-based"’ are. That means they have proven their value in practice: a lot of experience has been gained with them by aid workers and people with trauma, and solid training programs exist for therapists who work with them.
The list is not complete, where necessary and possible, articles about other treatment methods that can be helpful for trauma will be added.
