The aftermath of trauma can leave you feeling distressed, anxious, and even have a larger intrusion on your daily life. If you are a resident of Oregon and experiencing the effects of trauma, our licensed and caring practitioners are ready to help you find a new normal.
At Bend Counseling & Biofeedback we specialize in the treatment and growth of our patients as they navigate life after trauma. We understand how difficult it can be to talk about your experiences which is why we make every effort to instill a safe, non-judgemental space for everyone.
What Causes Trauma?
Trauma occurs when a person has been exposed to a terrifying, painful, or scary event. It can happen after one occurrence or after a year of repeated exposure to the event and can be acute, chronic, or complex. Afterwards, a person can have issues with coping and an increasing feeling of fear, helplessness and vulnerability. While each person can respond to a traumatic event differently, spending time to process the incidents that occurred is essential for finding some level of relief.
What are the Six Most Common Types of Trauma:
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): It’s not uncommon to develop PTSD after living through a frightening and/or horrific circumstance. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares, heightened anxiety, restlessness, avoidance of certain places or people associated with the traumatic event, and difficulty sleeping or concentrating.
Acute Stress Disorder (ASD): Lasting for about four weeks, this occurs right after a traumatic event has taken place. Symptoms may include feeling detached from reality, intrusive thoughts about the event, amnesia related to the event, irritability, and difficulty sleeping.
Second-Hand Trauma: Experiencing a traumatic event can affect a person’s mental health even if they were not present at the time it took place; this is known as second-hand trauma. This can occur when someone hears about a traumatic experience from someone else or sees graphic images related to it. Symptoms may include guilt for not doing enough to help during the traumatic situation and avoiding conversations about the incident altogether.
Attachment Reactive Disorder (RAD): Children who are consistently exposed to caregivers who display detachment symptoms due to their own traumas and unresolved psychological issues will be at risk for developing an attachment reactive disorder. Those who suffer from RAD can often show signs of aggression toward others and difficulty forming healthy attachments with other people later in life.
Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED): DSED occurs in young children when they face extended periods without proper social contact with their parents or caregivers leading them to become overly friendly towards unfamiliar adults or strangers upon meeting them for the first time. Children will commonly show poor judgment when interacting with others or a lack of appropriate risk assessment skills since their ability to read social cues or behavior is impaired.
Adjustment Disorders: An adjustment disorder is when any type of distress alters your behavior or mood. This typically occurs after a death in the family, a divorce, the loss of a job, etc. Patients with this disorder will commonly feel depression, anxiety, and a withdrawal from previously beloved activities. They will also become overwhelmed when faced with a challenge, unable to cope with the emotions in a healthy manner.
Is Trauma a Mental Illness?
Trauma is classified as a type of mental illness, but it is not as easy to diagnose and treat as other disorders. It is possible for trauma to cause long-term effects in how the brain functions. Essentially, trauma dysregulates the neurotransmitters related to fear and stress. The elevated levels of cortisol and epinephrine caused by trauma can increase risky behavior and difficulty with regulating emotions.
Who is Susceptible to Trauma?
Trauma can affect anyone and is not limited by age, gender, race, or background.
Research suggests that trauma can be passed down epigenetically through generations. For example, one study found that Holocaust survivors passed on symptoms of PTSD to their children - even though these children had never personally experienced the trauma directly.
Trauma is common among:
- Veterans
- First Responders
- Refugees of conflict, war, genocide
- Victims of physical or sexual assault or abuse
- Survivors or witnesses of accidents, disasters, or other big events
- People who have been bullied or frequently discriminated against
As such, it is important to recognize and understand how our experiences can shape the lives and health of those around us.
What are the Signs & Symptoms of Emotional Trauma?
Two people can experience the same event and have very different reactions. One person can develop trauma from a situation, but the other can move on without being affected.
The most common signs of trauma include:
Does Trauma Ever Go Away?
The effects of trauma can be long-lasting and cause significant disruption to an individual’s life. Without sufficient treatment, the effects of trauma may continue for years or even a lifetime. Healing from trauma can take months or even years. One of the best ways to begin treating and potentially healing from trauma is to seek professional help from a qualified therapist, which you will find at Bend Counseling & Biofeedback.
How is Trauma Treated?
Trauma can be treated or eased through various methods, which patients can carefully explore with a mental health professional at Bend Counseling & Biofeedback. We are proud to offer all of our modalities in-person and via teletherapy appointments to residents all over Oregon.
It's important for patients to find a mental health provider specializing in treating trauma to get the best care possible. With the right support, individuals can recover from the lasting effects of trauma and lead healthier lives.
As a Bend Counseling & Biofeedback patient, you would have access to the following treatments:
Counseling: The most common treatment for trauma is counseling, a form of psychotherapy designed to help individuals explore and process their feelings about a traumatic event. Patients can explore healthy coping mechanisms with our licensed and compassionate therapists. Our most common form of talk therapy for trauma is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) that focuses on recognizing negative thought patterns and how to redirect them.
Neurofeedback: Neurofeedback is a form of therapy that aims to rewire how the brain responds to stressors. During a session, a patient will observe their own brain activity on a screen as they attempt to focus on breathing and relaxation exercises. The end result is a positive awareness of one's own physical symptoms of anxiety while out in the real world.
Peak Performance Coaching: Peak performance coaching works to reduce the occurrence of stressful flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts that linger after trauma. This form of therapy uses customized strategies such as goal-setting and visualization techniques to teach patients how to refocus their energy away from painful memories and back toward personal growth opportunities.
EMDR & Brainspotting: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a form of talk therapy specifically designed to process traumatic memories that may be stored deep within a person’s subconscious mind. Brainspotting is similar but applies pressure points during sessions, helping patients access deeper layers of their subconscious mind to heal from trauma faster and more effectively than traditional EMDR methods do alone.
HeartMath: HearMath is an audio-based program designed to treat trauma by helping patients reprocess traumatic memories through sound waves instead of words or images like in other therapies, such as EMDR or neurofeedback. It provides soothing tones that change depending on how the patient responds, allowing them to safely confront their traumatic memories over time to begin healing from them effectively and efficiently.
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Biofeedback: Biofeedback is therapy commonly utilized when treating trauma, using technology such as monitors or sensors attached to various parts of the body (like wrists or fingers) that measure physical signals like heart rate or breathing patterns while an individual processes painful emotions related to their trauma experience(s).
Having access to these physical signs allows mental health professionals and patients alike to track progress made in therapeutic settings over time more easily than ever before, making this technique very valuable for those dealing with PTSD or other forms of trauma-related issues throughout treatment sessions and beyond.
Integrated Treatment for Insomnia: Integrated treatment for insomnia (ITI) has been found effective at treating trauma-related insomnia and general sleep disturbances present after individuals have experienced a traumatic event. ITI combines several treatments, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), medication management, mindfulness practices, biofeedback training, light therapy, nutritional counseling, psychodynamic approaches, etc.
Take the First Steps for Treatment of Trauma at Bend Counseling & Biofeedback
Contact BCB Therapy, where we have a team of caring and experienced therapists to help if you're struggling with PTSD or related health concerns such as panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, or depression.
Reach out to us today to make an appointment with one of our counselors for an in-person or virtual appointment in Bend, Oregon.