Trauma Therapy Edmonton: Treatment of trauma and PTSD
What is trauma
Trauma is a word that holds many meanings. In recent years, the impact of trauma is becoming more well known in media and everyday conversation. This article will explain:
- how traumatic events and psychological trauma are different
- the differences between trauma and PTSD
- how and when PTSD is diagnosed
- other trauma-related disorders and presentations including acute stress disorder, complex trauma, and moral injury
- treatment of trauma and PTSD in therapy
- how to find trauma and PTSD counseling near me
Traumatic events
A traumatic event is the situation itself that is highly distressing. They can be isolated incidents, or ongoing situations that occur over time. Sometimes trauma is categorized as “Big T” or “Little t” trauma. An event can be traumatic, but it doesn’t always lead to psychological trauma or PTSD.
Using the categories of Big T and Little t trauma is not representative of how distressing the event is. Rather, it is a way of labelling which events could meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis.
Big ‘T’ trauma
Traumatic experiences that would meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis are referred to as ‘Big T’ traumas. These are life-or-death type of experiences and can include experiences such as:
- being physically or sexually assaulted
- domestic violence and family violence
- losing a loved one to violence or suicide
- having a near-death accident
- directly witnessing any of the above
Little ‘t’ trauma
Traumatic experiences are those which overwhelm our ability to cope with a situation or event. Traumatic events aren’t just natural disasters or war. Even non-life-threatening experiences can overwhelm our ability to cope. Examples of ‘little t’ traumas can include experiences such as:
- a betrayal such as an affair
- the loss of a job
- an incident that was humiliating
- the death of a pet
Mental health and trauma
The psychological response to a trauma is separate from the event itself. One person may find an experience traumatic, while the next does not. A traumatic event is one that is deeply painful or distressing and overwhelms ones ability to cope.
Experiencing a traumatic event is likely to have an immediate impact. However, if these symptoms continue to long term and interfere with daily life, a trauma response may have developed. Ongoing symptoms may also point to developing PTSD.
Stressful experiences versus trauma
In contrast, stressful experiences are similar in that they place demands on coping, but have important differences. Stress is different from trauma because it can feel overwhelming but doesn’t go beyond our ability to handle it. We can recover from stress without any lasting negative effects or symptoms mentioned earlier.
Symptoms of trauma
Trauma symptoms are responses that develop as a result of the exposure to the traumatic event. These include concerns such as:
- Avoiding people, places, or situations that remind you of the trauma
- Avoiding thoughts or feelings that remind you of the trauma
- Difficulty falling or staying asleep
- Problems with concentration or focus
- Being “jumpy” or easily startled
- Irritable behaviour or angry outbursts
- Becoming overly aware of surroundings
- Reckless or risk-taking behaviours
- Lack of positive emotions
- Feeling distant or detached from others
- Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities
- Ongoing feelings of fear, horror, anger, guilt, or shame
- Ongoing negative beliefs such as ‘the world is completely dangerous’
- Difficulty remembering parts of the traumatic event
- Flashbacks or feelings as if you are back reliving the event
Traumatic experiences can alter the brain’s smoke detector of threat perception. Rather than fire, burnt toast sets it off.
Trauma diagnosis
Experiencing an event that is considered traumatic and having a trauma-related diagnosis are actually separate terms. The criteria of a trauma-related diagnosis requires a major traumatic event. However, not everyone who experiences such events will have long-lasting symptoms.
Consequently, two different people can experience the exact same natural disaster and have dramatically different outcomes. What happened before and after a traumatic event can greatly affect how someone recovers from it.
If a person experiences trauma, we expect that they would have a range of thoughts and feelings shortly after. Humans bodies (like animals) go through steps after a serious threat to our safety occurs. These steps are hard-wired to resolve distressing experiences naturally. Rather, we would explore a diagnosis if the symptoms persisted longer term and continued to interfere with daily life.
Types of trauma and related disorders
- Acute Stress Disorder
- Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Complex Trauma
- Moral Injury
Acute Stress Disorder
Acute Stress Disorder is diagnosed when a major trauma happens and symptoms last for over 3 days. A major trauma (Big ‘T’) includes direct exposure or witnessing of actual or threatened death or learning of violent or accidental death of a loved one.
Post-traumatic stress disorder
PTSD is diagnosed when a specific traumatic event happens and certain symptoms are present for a while. People with PTSD find it hard to handle reminders of their trauma and often avoid certain places or activities.
Complex trauma
Complex trauma is an area of much recent interest and research. It occurs when someone goes through long-lasting and traumatic experiences, although definitions do vary. Complex trauma is often related to childhood trauma or relationship violence. These experiences occur between close relationships (rather than a natural disaster) and are often long term.
Moral injury
Moral injury is not currently a formal trauma-related diagnosis. It is however, closely related to symptoms of PTSD. Moral injury occurs when your action (or inaction) in a situation is in violation of your values and morals. and result in distressing emotions and negatively altered belief systems.
PTSD Treatment Edmonton: The role of therapy in trauma treatment
Trauma counselling helps treat trauma-related disorders and can also prevent symptoms from developing into a diagnosis. Therapy approaches to address trauma and PTSD include developing of coping skills and tools to manage symptoms. Additionally, most trauma work also includes processing the traumatic memory.
Working with someone who has education and experience in treating trauma is crucial. Trauma therapy needs to be evidence-based and paced to avoid excessive overwhelm. Several types of evidenced-based therapy exist for trauma disorders.
EMDR therapy for the treatment of trauma
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence-based approach for treating trauma. EMDR uses bilateral movements to help reduce distress associated with traumatic memories. More information about EMDR therapy can be found at the National Centre for PTSD website.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for the treatment of trauma
CPT is a type of therapy that focuses on the belief systems that develop from traumatic events. Read more about CPT on the National Centre for PTSD website.
Prolonged Exposure (PE) Therapy for the treatment of trauma
PE is a therapy approach developed to treat the diagnosis of PTSD. PE reduces distress and PTSD symptoms by repeatedly exposing the person to the traumatic material. You can learn more about PE at the National Centre for PTSD.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is a therapy approach that addressed the interaction of our thoughts, feelings, and behaviours.
Other therapy approaches to treat trauma
Several other therapy approaches are being explored for the treatment of trauma and PTSD. Some of these include:
- Somatic approaches (body based therapies)
- Psychodynamic therapy approaches
- Art and music therapies
Medication for trauma symptoms and PTSD
Doctors sometimes prescribe medication for people experiencing symptoms of PTSD. Currently psychologists in Canada and most of the United States do not prescribe medication. Your family doctor, psychiatrist, or nurse practitioner can help explore medication options. A psychologist can work with your doctor to provide feedback about your symptoms and treatment if you would like their assistance.
Areas of further research for trauma: Psychedelic therapies
Lastly, you may be surprised to learn that psychedelics are an area of research for the treatment of PTSD. In Canada, the process of regulating psychedelic drugs for therapy settings is currently underway. In the future, psychiatrist clinics may use psychedelic-assisted therapies to help people with mental health issues like PTSD.
Finding Trauma Counseling Near Me
If you are wondering “how do I find a PTSD therapist near me?” there are several places you can look.
