Understanding Trauma and Finding Hope with an Austin Trauma Therapist

Relief and growth after trauma are possible in less time than you think! CPT works its magic in about 12 sessions and just about all of my clients no longer meet criteria for PTSD at the end of those 12 sessions. Reach out today to schedule your free 15-minute phone consultation with an Austin trauma therapist.

As an Austin trauma therapist, I recently had the privilege of being the inaugural guest on the "Stories of Hope - Lessons Learned from Trauma" podcast. The host, a dedicated trauma survivor and advocate, is the founder of the nonprofit "From Victim to Victor." During our conversation, I shared insights into the complexities of trauma and the path toward healing.

My Journey: From Survivor to Austin Trauma Therapist

I also shared a bit of my own personal history, including my experience as a pediatric cancer survivor, and what led me to pursue a career in social work and ultimately specialize as a trauma therapist in Austin.

Defining Trauma: A Foundation for Healing

One of the key aspects we discussed was defining trauma. It's important to understand that there are both broader and narrower definitions. The word "trauma" itself originates from the Greek word for "wound." In its most inclusive sense, trauma is any event that overwhelms your ability to cope.

However, for a diagnosis of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5), specific criteria must be met. A person must have been exposed to:  

1. Actual or threatened death

2. Actual or threatened bodily injury

3. Sexual violence

Exposure can occur in several ways:

1. Directly experiencing the event

2. Witnessing the event happening to someone else

3. Learning about the event happening to a close loved one

4. Repeatedly being exposed to graphic details of traumatic events through one's occupation (e.g., first responders)

The Impact of Childhood Trauma: Understanding ACEs

We also briefly touched on the significant research surrounding Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and how trauma experienced in childhood can contribute to a wide range of health issues in adulthood.

ACEs are a set of 10 specific experiences in childhood that have been shown to increase the risk for numerous health problems later in life. If you're interested in learning more about this crucial research, you can find additional information here: https://acestoohigh.com/

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT): A Path to Healing from PTSD

I introduced Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), a highly effective treatment approach for PTSD, and discussed who might be a good candidate for this therapy.

CPT is considered a gold standard treatment for PTSD. It directly addresses the ways in which trauma can alter your beliefs about yourself, others, and the world around you. The primary goal of CPT is to help individuals develop more balanced and adaptive beliefs.

Here's a simplified example: Imagine you initially believed that people were generally good. After experiencing an attack, you might develop the belief that all people are terrible. In CPT, the aim isn't to revert to the unrealistic belief that everyone is good. Instead, we work toward a more nuanced understanding, such as "some people are good, some are neutral, and some are terrible." We then explore strategies for protecting yourself from those who might be harmful without isolating yourself from positive connections.

The Role of Avoidance and the "Just World Belief" in PTSD

We also discussed the significant roles that avoidance and the "just world belief" play in maintaining PTSD symptoms.

Avoidance is actually a diagnostic criterion for PTSD – its presence is necessary for the diagnosis. Therefore, urges to avoid reminders of the trauma are a common experience in therapy focused on trauma recovery. However, it's this very avoidance that often keeps individuals stuck in the cycle of PTSD.

Fortunately, CPT doesn't require you to recount every single detail of your traumatic experience. As an Austin trauma therapist, I am more interested in the meaning you have ascribed to the event. Recovery doesn't necessarily come from a detailed play-by-play narrative. In fact, the developers of CPT conducted a study comparing CPT with a written trauma account to CPT without one, and the outcomes were the same. While you may choose to write an account, it is not a requirement, and I will not ask you to do so.

The "just world belief" is a concept that most of us learn from a young age – perhaps from our parents, religious institutions, schools, or society in general. It's the idea that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. This belief tends to be rigid and concrete, which aligns with how children's brains process information. Often, we unknowingly carry this belief into adulthood, even as we intellectually understand that the world is far more complex. If something negative happens to you, and you are resistant to changing your "just world" belief, you might unconsciously start to believe that you must have done something to deserve it. Developing flexibility in the "just world" belief allows for both acceptance of what happened and the preservation of your self-worth.

Connect with an Austin Trauma Therapist for Support

If what you've read here (or heard on the podcast) resonates with your own experiences, I encourage you to reach out. As an experienced Austin trauma therapist, I offer a free 15-minute phone consultation to discuss my therapeutic approach and how I can help. You can schedule a consultation by clicking here.

Here is the episode if you’d like to give it a listen!

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