How to Find Healing from Emotional Trauma
Emotional trauma is caused by overwhelmingly stressful events that shatter a person's sense of security. This often leads to a lasting struggle with upsetting emotions, recurring memories, and anxiety. Whether it stems from a single incident, like a car accident, or from prolonged experiences, such as childhood abuse, trauma can disrupt your body's natural equilibrium and affect every part of your life.
Physical and Emotional Effects of Trauma
Trauma symptoms typically manifest in multiple ways. Emotionally, you might experience shock, confusion, anger, anxiety, guilt, or feel disconnected and numb. Physically, trauma often causes insomnia, nightmares, fatigue, a racing heartbeat, muscle tension, and difficulty concentrating.
These symptoms can persist long after the traumatic event, especially without professional help. Research shows that unresolved trauma can lead to depression, high blood pressure, and disrupted relationships. Some people turn to alcohol or drugs to cope, which only creates additional health complications.
The effects extend beyond individual suffering. Trauma can fundamentally alter how you perceive yourself and the world. After a car accident, driving might become terrifying. Following betrayal by a trusted person, you might expect everyone to hurt you, pushing people away before they get close.
Proven Methods for Emotional Trauma Recovery
Research shows that trauma disrupts the body's natural equilibrium, keeping you frozen in a state of hyperarousal and fear. Specific interventions can help repair your nervous system and restore balance through physical, social, and cognitive approaches.
Exercise and Physical Activity
Exercise for 30 minutes daily helps repair your nervous system by burning off adrenaline and releasing endorphins. Rhythmic exercises that engage both arms and legs, like walking, running, swimming, or dancing, work particularly well. Adding mindfulness by focusing on body sensations during movement enhances the healing effect.
Building Social Connections
Isolation worsens trauma symptoms, while face-to-face connections facilitate healing. This doesn't mean you have to discuss the trauma itself. Simply engaging in normal activities with others, joining support groups, or volunteering can challenge the sense of helplessness that accompanies trauma.
If connecting feels difficult, try physical movement first. Jumping, swinging your arms, or vocal toning (making "mmmm" sounds at different pitches) can help prepare your nervous system for social engagement.
Calm Your Nervous System
Several techniques can help you self-regulate when feeling overwhelmed:
Mindful breathing: Take 60 breaths, focusing on each exhale
Grounding exercises: Sit in a chair, feel your feet on the floor, and identify six red or blue objects around you
Sensory input: Use specific sights, smells, sounds, or textures that quickly calm you
Daily Health Habits for Recovery
Healing requires attention to overall health. Maintain regular sleep schedules (7-9 hours nightly), as quality sleep helps process trauma. Eat well-balanced meals throughout the day, emphasizing omega-3-rich foods like salmon and walnuts that support mood regulation. Avoid using alcohol or drugs, which worsen symptoms and increase depression and anxiety. Spiritual practices, such as prayer, meditation, or connecting with nature, provide additional strength during recovery.
How Therapy Can Help
While self-help strategies are valuable, professional treatment is often necessary, especially if symptoms persist for months or interfere with daily functioning. Evidence-based trauma therapies include:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which we offer at our practice, uses bilateral stimulation to help "unfreeze" traumatic memories.
Somatic experiencing focuses on releasing trauma stored in the body through physical sensations and bodily awareness.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy helps process and evaluate thoughts and feelings about the trauma.
The quality of the therapeutic relationship is just as important as the treatment approach. You need a therapist who makes you feel safe, respected, and understood.
Healing from trauma means learning to regulate strong emotions, release pent-up energy, and rebuild trust in others. While everyone heals at their own pace, professional help can make the journey safer and more effective. If you're experiencing severe fear, anxiety, depression, terrifying memories, or using substances to cope, therapy for trauma can help. Together, we can help you reclaim your sense of safety and control. Reach out today.
