There are many forms of therapy available today. Trauma-informed therapy is one such option. But people ask, “Do I need trauma therapy?” or “Is trauma-informed therapy different from traditional therapy?”
Do I Need Trauma Therapy?
How do you know if you need trauma therapy?
History of Personal Trauma
The most obvious indicator is a history of trauma. If you have any history of traumatic experiences during childhood or into adulthood, you might not realize how those impact your daily life and mental health.
For example:
A woman with a history of domestic violence in her previous marriage may not go to her doctor, dentist, or therapist regularly and not quite know why not. Something about them makes her uncomfortable.
That woman might be triggered by the men in roles of power, who remind her of her abusive ex.
This is called a trigger.
Witnessing Trauma
Not everyone has experienced trauma directly. Individuals can develop PTSD or depression and have personal triggers if they witness trauma.
This can include:
- People who witness abuse in the home, like children who watched domestic violence or violence at school
- People who work as First Responders or military personnel and witness trauma for work
For example:
A couple were driving home from a long vacation when they saw a car pulled over on the side of the road. In an instant, they saw a man shoot the driver of that vehicle in the head and run away. They pulled over, called 911, and waited with the dying man. The husband stepped away, sick, while the wife tried to pull the man out of the car and put him on a blanket so he wasn’t lying on the burning hot asphalt.
Now, that woman has trouble driving long distances and is triggered whenever she sees a car on the side of the road.
While the traumatic event itself did not directly impact her or her husband, it did indirectly impact them. In this situation, witnessing trauma and being present for someone’s murder and subsequent death can cause myriad mental health issues.
Trauma to Others
Beyond witnessing it, sometimes you might need trauma therapy because of trauma that happened to other people. This is most common when a partner, spouse, parent, or child has experienced trauma.
People can struggle with PTSD or triggers from the trauma that happened to their loved ones.
For example:
A woman learns that her child was the victim of an attack. While her daughter was traveling, she was attacked on the street by a man, and though her daughter got away, the daughter was injured, frightened, and traumatized.
The woman is now triggered by what she considers suspicious-looking men who watch girls on the street. She has a mild panic attack when she sees a young girl walking alone. She constantly worries about her daughter when her daughter travels or is alone.
This mother may not have directly experienced trauma, but it was close enough to hurt that her profound love for her daughter could indicate that she needs trauma therapy as well.
What is Trauma Therapy?
Trauma therapy or trauma-informed therapy is a unique approach to traditional psychotherapy that takes into consideration individual backgrounds and experiences with trauma to help avoid retraumatization.
Retraumatization is the process by which someone tries to get help for their trauma, and they end up triggered again because of the way in which the help is provided, the type of person who gives that help, or some other aspect of the treatment.
If you consider the examples above, retraumatization might happen when:
- A woman is given a domineering male therapist who reminds her of her ex-husband
- A woman is working with a therapist who has antique guns displayed in the office
- A woman is given a therapist who doesn’t have children
What can retraumatize someone is highly individualized, and it could be something as simple as not believing that your therapist can truly identify with your situation or circumstance if they don’t have a similar family structure or someone who simply looks like or talks like a perpetrator.
For the best type of treatment, it is always best to work with trauma-informed care centers, with professionals who take into consideration your unique triggers and circumstances and preferences and allow you to be an integral part of establishing the type of care you will receive.
Trauma-Informed Care at Casa Serena
At Casa Serena, our women’s mental health treatment center provides a women-only place to heal from trauma. We specialize in offering residential programs for women, by women. Our goal is to ensure each client is given a chance to process their trauma in a safe, supportive environment where they can build a sense of community with other clients, participate in holistic care without judgment, and find purpose.
Do I need trauma therapy?
If you have asked, give us a call to discuss how our women’s only mental health treatment center might help.
Call now to get help.