Understanding Trauma Triggers and Responses
Trauma, in its various forms, can leave a lasting imprint on an individual’s mental and emotional wellbeing. One significant aspect of trauma is the way it can sensitize a person’s nervous system, leading to heightened responses to certain stimuli.
These stimuli, known as trauma triggers, can evoke powerful emotional and physiological reactions that are deeply ingrained in our biology and psychology (Evans & Coccoma, 2014).
The trauma response system
Trauma responses are complex and varied, extending beyond the widely recognized categories of fight, flight, freeze, and fawn.
While these four responses represent the primary ways individuals might react to threatening situations as immediate survival mechanisms, they are not exhaustive. In the field of trauma studies, experts have identified additional, less commonly known reactions such as fright, flag, and faint (Bracha, 2004; Schauer & Elbert, 2015).
Recognizing these varied responses is crucial for therapists in diagnosing and treating trauma-related conditions, as it acknowledges the diversity in individual experiences of trauma and stress. Such knowledge is instrumental in developing more nuanced and effective treatment strategies for those affected by trauma.
Stress responses and dysregulation
The body’s stress response system is designed to help us cope with threatening situations (Frothingham, 2021; Reddon et al., 2021). However, in the context of trauma, these responses can become dysregulated, making it difficult for one to manage their emotional and physiological responses appropriately.
Trauma survivors may find themselves oscillating between these responses. For example, a seemingly harmless trigger, such as a specific scent or a certain tone of voice, can activate the fight response, leading to intense anger and aggression.
Alternatively, it might trigger the flight response, causing a sudden urge to escape the situation. This dysregulation can lead to emotional turmoil, relationship difficulties, and even physical symptoms.
Understanding such responses is crucial for trauma-informed therapy, as it informs therapeutic interventions aimed at helping individuals regain control over their reactions and move towards healing and emotional regulation. For more techniques that will help your clients develop self-regulation skills, refer to our article 21 Emotion Regulation Strategies and Worksheets.
Training in Trauma Informed Therapy
Trauma-informed therapy is a crucial area of specialization for mental health professionals working with trauma survivors. It’s important to choose training that is reputable, evidence-based, and aligned with your professional goals. Some examples are below:
PESI Inc.
PESI is the leading organization for continuing education for mental health professionals. The Integrated Trauma Therapist, specifically, is an online course that teaches how to seamlessly integrate the most effective clinical methods and trauma treatments, ensuring improved outcomes and client healing.
The Embody Lab
The Embody Lab offers online certifications and advanced training in a range of programs.
These include Somatic Attachment Therapy, Somatic Stress Release™, Embodied Social Justice, Applied Polyvagal Theory, and Integrative Somatic Trauma Therapy, aimed at promoting embodied education, self-discovery, and healing for global transformation.
Training per modality
You can also train under a specific modality, such as the examples below:
1. Somatic Experiencing
The Somatic Experiencing Professional Training Program offers a comprehensive framework for trauma physiology, blending theory with experiential learning. This training, which includes lectures, live demonstrations, practice sessions, case studies, and readings, equips professionals with practical skills for immediate application in their practice.
2. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
EMDR therapy basic training, essential for its effectiveness and client safety, includes lectures, demonstrations, and supervised practice led by EMDRIA-approved trainers, with options for specializing in either adult or child and adolescent tracks.
3. Internal Family Systems
The IFS Institute offers tiered Internal Family Systems training from beginner to advanced levels, equipping mental health professionals with the necessary theory and techniques to apply IFS across various therapeutic settings.
When choosing a training program, it’s important to consider the specific needs of your client population, your personal interests, and the specific requirements for certification or licensure in your area.
9 Trauma Therapy Techniques
Learning trauma-informed therapy techniques provides the foundation for helping traumatized clients safely navigate the process of emotional regulation and regain a sense of security in relationships.
By understanding and applying these techniques, therapists can create a therapeutic environment that not only acknowledges and respects the client’s traumatic experiences but also actively supports their journey towards healing and rebuilding trust in relationships.
1. Internal Family Systems (IFS): Parts Work
IFS therapy recognizes that individuals have various “parts” within themselves, each with its own beliefs, emotions, and roles that can be brought into balance and harmony (Hodgdon et al., 2022).
In trauma survivors, these parts can become fragmented and cause self-sabotaging tendencies. Therapists can help clients identify and work with these parts, encouraging them to connect with their inner calm and wise Self, a core aspect of IFS therapy.
By accessing their Self, clients can learn to lead and guide their inner parts towards healing and integration.
2. Polyvagal Theory: Nervous System Regulation
Polyvagal theory emphasizes the role of the autonomic nervous system in trauma responses. It has profound implications for working with trauma survivors, emphasizing the role of physiological states in therapy (Porges, 2018).
Therapists can teach clients grounding and self-regulation techniques to modulate their nervous system, such as deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, or mindfulness practices.
3. Attachment Theory: Repairing Attachment Styles
Attachment theory highlights the influence of early relationships on one’s attachment style (Andriopoulou, 2021).
Therapists can help clients explore and understand their attachment style, working towards more secure and healthy attachment patterns. This involves fostering secure attachment dynamics within the therapeutic relationship and demonstrating new techniques to address old patterns, creating reparative corrective experiences.
4. EMDR Theory: Installing Resources
EMDR therapy is an extensively researched method that helps individuals process and heal from trauma. It uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories while integrating new positive beliefs into their experience (APA, 2017).
This helps the client process and desensitize the trauma and also integrate new, empowering beliefs and resources into their experience.
5. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT): Emotional Regulation and Mindfulness Skills
DBT offers a range of practical skills for mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness (Oppenauer et al., 2023).
These skills empower clients to manage intense emotions, reduce impulsivity, and navigate relationships effectively while mindfulness exercises help to increase present-moment awareness and promote emotional balance.
6. Somatic Experiencing: Discharge the Stored Trauma Energy
Somatic Experiencing, along with other body-focused approaches, guides clients through the process of releasing pent-up physiological tension that is associated with traumatic experiences.
This release can take many forms, such as shaking, trembling, crying, or even laughing. It assists individuals in releasing and moving past the physical tension that remains in the aftermath of traumatic events (Brom et al., 2017).
Ultimately, discharging helps reduce trauma-related symptoms and supports the client in regaining a sense of control and balance in their body.
7. Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT): Narrative Processing and Exposure
TF-CBT helps clients process traumatic memories and build resilience by using cognitive and behavioral techniques with trauma-sensitive interventions (Cohen & Mannarino, 2015).
Therapists can use narrative processing techniques and exposure therapy to help clients confront and reframe traumatic experiences. This process allows clients to gain mastery over their traumatic memories, reducing their emotional impact.
8. Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP): Four-State Model
AEDP emphasizes the transformative potential of the therapeutic relationship and the healing experience of processing difficult emotional and relational experiences (Iwakabe et al., 2020).
One specific intervention is the use of the “Four-State Model” for therapeutic change that guides the therapy process through stages of recognizing defenses and anxiety, exploring core emotions, experiencing transformative feelings, and ultimately reaching a state of calm and clarity.
9. Integration of Psychedelic Medicines for Complex Trauma Treatment
An emerging field, Psychedelic-assisted therapy involves the use of psychedelic substances, like MDMA and psilocybin, in controlled therapeutic settings, often alongside other therapeutic practices, to treat complex trauma (Elsouri, 2022).
On our blog we have a variety of tools instrumental in helping your clients deal with trauma.
A coping exercise is this Growing Stronger From Trauma worksheet, which encourages a client to recognize their strengths.
This valuable EMDR Worksheet provides several positive counterparts to negative cognitions, which can be used during EMDR Therapy.
While assisting clients with Exposure Therapy, this Imaginal Exposure worksheet will help the client keep track of their decreasing levels of distress.
Besides these helpful worksheets, you might find the following related articles interesting to peruse:
If you’re in search of efficient and evidenced-based methods to assist others in managing stress, consider exploring our compilation of 17 verified stress management resources for practitioners. These tools are designed to aid in recognizing symptoms of burnout and fostering a more balanced lifestyle for your clients.
A Take-Home Message
Trauma treatment demands a nuanced, personalized approach, blending diverse therapies to meet each survivor’s unique needs.
As mental health professionals, it’s our duty to stay informed, flexible, and empathetic, evolving our practices to offer holistic and effective healing paths. This journey not only challenges us but also highlights the remarkable human capacity for recovery and growth.
By acknowledging the deeply personal impact of trauma and providing tailored, compassionate care, we support individuals in reclaiming their strength and resilience, guiding them through their transformative journey towards recovery.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Stress & Burnout Prevention Exercises (PDF) for free.
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