Complex Trauma and Recovery
Trauma refers to an emotional wound that can occur as a result of a life event that threatens a person’s sense of safety or wellbeing. Trauma may occur as a result of abuse, a serious illness, injury or disaster. People may also experience trauma as a result of witnessing or hearing somebody else’s traumatic experiences. This is called vicarious trauma. For some people, the impact of the trauma may be short term, but for others the impact of a trauma may be longer term and negatively affect other areas of their life, such as relationships, study, work, quality of life and identity. This can depend on how the trauma was processed at the time, the level of support a person had and their personal history. Experiencing trauma is not a weakness in character.
Post-traumatic stress can occur when trauma symptoms extend beyond a month and people may experience intense distress, anxiety or irritability. People can experience nightmares, intrusive memories and flashbacks. Some people may avoid important aspects of life. There may be problems with memory or concentration, feeling vague or detached or feeling more impulsive than usual. Trauma may also negatively affect the way people view themselves or the world and it can be difficult to feel joy.
Complex Post-Traumatic Stress may occur when people experience multiple traumas that affect a person’s safety from childhood and adulthood. As a result, people may experience longer term difficulties with regulating their emotions, impulsivity, feeling detached from themselves or the world, feeling different from the world, shame, inappropriate self-blame, poor self-confidence and trust issues.
At In Bloom Psychology both Tim and Katherine Bonaldi are trained and experienced in trauma informed therapy and can offer a safe and paced way to process trauma. It is never too late to recover from the impact of trauma. Most people who engage in evidence-based treatments for trauma do recover and can learn how to re-establish a sense of safety, process memories at their own pace, learn skills to manage distress and regain a sense of control over life.
Stage 1 involves Safety and Stabilization. The focus is on assisting a person to establish a safe environment to heal, including increasing supports and how to set healthy boundaries. Regaining a sense of bodily and emotional safety is also important in terms of how to recognise triggers (past and present), identifying emotions and learning how to self-soothe in healthy ways and letting go of any unhelpful habits, for example substance misuse, excessive distraction, overworking, perfectionism, people pleasing and self-sabotage.
Stage 2 involves coming to terms with traumatic memories. This does not necessarily involve re-living every memory. It is more important to create perspective to see the reality of the trauma and let go of any unhelpful beliefs that have effected self-worth, trust in oneself or trust in the world in general. This can assist in reducing stigma and shame and re-building self-worth and empowerment.
Stage 3 involves integration and moving on. This involves healthy risk taking, re-engaging in a good quality of life and growth beyond the trauma. There is emerging evidence to suggest that people can experience post-traumatic growth. This refers to the ability to grow beyond trauma to heal and experience a better version of themselves. Post-traumatic growth can include:
Greater appreciation of life
Improved relationships with others
Exploring new possibilities in life (healthy risks in work, personal goals, values and interests)
Personal strength
Enhanced sense of spirituality
Evidence-based treatments for trauma are available at In Bloom Psychology, including:
Trauma-focussed cognitive-behavioural therapy
Cognitive processing therapy
Acceptance and commitment therapy
Compassion focused therapy
Schema therapy
Dialectical behaviour therapy
Katherine or Tim Bonaldi can assist you in this area.
Please contact us to discuss suitability and to book an appointment.
If you are currently in an abusive relationship and feel unsafe please contact: https://www.1800respect.org.au/ or phone 1800 737 732.
Written by Katherine and Tim Bonaldi.
References: Australian Psychological Society (peak body for psychologists) and Blue Knot (National Centre of Excellence for Complex Trauma) and American Psychological Association.