Everyone on the planet has likely experienced some form of trauma. From car accidents and bullying to abuse, neglect, and family dysfunction, trauma seems to be the norm, although most of our traumatic experiences are unique to us individually. So why is it that we fail to recognize the impact of trauma in our lives?

Your Trauma was Worse

Frequently, we hear clients say that their experiences were just not as bad as other people they know. Yet, they still experienced trauma but avoid recognizing it to avoid having to resolve it. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 60% of adults experienced trauma, and trauma can be expensive when it comes to the impact of our mental and physical health. 

There are two types of trauma, broadly speaking: episodic and chronic. When we think about episodic trauma, thoughts of car accidents, random acts of violence, school shootings come to mind. Episodic trauma is essentially anything that happens once. Then we have chronic trauma, which usually develops over time. Here, we tend to think about all forms of abuse, neglect, family dysfunction, religious and workplace experiences that stick with us and grows in our thoughts and experiences. In the end, trauma is trauma regardless of what happened, why it happened, and how it shows up in your life. The good news is that with hard work and bravery, you can strip trauma d of its power and move forward to live a fulfilling life. 

Move Toward Fulfillment

To move forward on your mental wellness journey toward fulfillment, it is likely that you may need a guide to help you navigate the complexity of your traumatic experiences. The good news is that there are counselors who specialize in doing just that. To help you find the right match for you, look for a counselor who advertises special training in trauma and holds a certified clinical trauma professional level one or two designations.

Having a highly-trained trauma guide is essential because using an evidence-based process can produce counseling results. Typically, to help you through the process, your counselor will provide you with mindfulness-based coping skills as a first step. From there, teaching you about how your brain and body work together can be important because generally, your brain is doing what it is designed to do, which is to protect you at all costs. Once you have this combination of skills and knowledge in place, you can move forward to create a narrative that helps you to integrate the trauma into your whole brain, which can make it so that the trauma just doesn’t get in your way any longer. Along the way, you can learn new communication skills and conflict management skills to improve your relationships or even identify practices that build your self-worth without the need for approval by others. Finally, pinpointing values to guide your behaviors can set you off on a path toward fulfillment with yourself, your life, and everything around you. 

You know yourself better than anyone else can ever know you. If you are ready to get started on your mental wellness path, request a free, 15-minute consultation today. Trauma does not need to get in your way any longer.