Life can sometimes unfold itself in ways that we least expect it to be. From personal tragedy to a global crisis or even being a victim of a violent crime, it is normal to experience traumatic stress after a disturbing event.

Such harrowing incidents can leave us with conflicting feelings like intense shock, confusion, and fear if not dealt with immediately.

Not only this, but repeated traumatic stress can shatter one’s sense of security, leaving behind a feeling of helplessness and vulnerability.

So if you or someone you know is going through such traumatic stress, perhaps it’s time to consider finding professional help to get through it.

So, what really is trauma?

Trauma can be best defined as the aftermath of an event that has been particularly jarring for someone. Apart from being life-threatening, trauma can be physically and emotionally harmful.

In some cases, it may take a toll on your psychological health, and the best way to deal with it is through counselling.

Today some of the most common causes of trauma include:

• Accidents
• Assaults
• Injury
• Explosion
• Global pandemic

There are many reasons why a distressful event such as a road accident can cause post-traumatic stress.

According to trauma experts, events like these physically alter our brains. Areas of your brain that once worked in a particular way change based on the hyper-arousal caused by trauma.

So whether you have lived through a distressing incident yourself, witnessed it, or acted as the first responder, there’s no shame in reaching out for help.

Looking for the best trauma counselling services should be your first step towards regaining your lost emotional balance.

What happens in the trauma counselling process?

During a trauma counselling session, a therapist will most likely begin by listening to your story. Talking about your pain and what truly happened to you is the first step toward recovery.

To many, this may sound a bit scary at first but remember you alone can process the past events and get through this roadblock to living a fulfilled and empowered life. But to do so, you must first find a trauma-focused therapist to help you so that they can walk you through the process.

Typically the trauma counselling process involves therapy geared toward recognizing and understanding how the traumatic experience impacted the individual’s behavioural, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.

Therapies engaged in such processes focus on understanding the link between the trauma experience and the emotional and behavioural response towards it.

While doing so you also learn strategies to help you process emotions and memories tied to it all while creating a healthier meaning of the experience.

When should you see a trauma therapist?

When a traumatic incident starts to disrupt your day-to-day functioning and impacts your daily life negatively, it may be time to seek the expertise of a professional.

Seeking an experienced trauma therapist may prove to be quite beneficial, especially if you are experiencing

• Repeated flashbacks
• Anxiety or fear
• Frequent nightmares or troubled sleep
• Isolation

What does the trauma counselling process involve?

A trained trauma therapist helps by providing you with a safe place where you can explore your feelings.

These therapists offer grounding techniques and awareness exercises to help you learn how to come down from hyper-arousal and be grounded in the here-and-now experience.

Alternatively, a therapist can also help trauma survivors recognize their resources and skills and build on them by learning to regulate emotions and feel safer.

Some of the common goals involved in the trauma counselling process include:

• Allowing individuals to successfully handle the reality of the traumatic event that occurred in the past
• Changing their focus from the past to the present event
• Boosting their day to day functioning
• Helping individuals regain confidence within themselves and reignite their “personal power.”
• Equipping them with coping mechanisms that will help prevent any relapse

However, since everyone’s trauma is different from others, the course of treatment also varies from person to person depending upon the nature and the severity of their trauma.

Today, out of the different types of therapy, three of the most common ones used by therapists include:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Psychodynamic psychotherapy
• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

Final Verdict:

Remember! Living with trauma can be detrimental.

While you didn’t bring your trauma or any mental health disorder related to it upon yourself, you can take steps to heal from it.

If you need to access trauma counselling in Perth¸ you are welcome to contact the therapists at Vision for appointments and advice.