HEALING FROM TRAUMA
Trauma affects a person by making them not feel safe. Anxiety, turmoil, and emotional pain surface and make life difficult. A person may begin to feel that something is wrong with them, that there is no way to quit hurting.
Two methods used to help overcome these issues are trauma-informed care and self-compassion.
Trauma-informed care
Trauma-informed care raises awareness that you have the capacity to learn coping skills. Dr L. Elizabeth Lincoln is a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital who has trained medical professionals and students about approaching patient care with an understanding of trauma. She explains: “Trauma-informed care is defined as practices that promote a culture of safety, empowerment, and healing. A medical office or hospital can be a terrifying experience for someone who has experienced trauma, particularly for childhood sexual abuse survivors. The perceived power differential, being asked to remove clothing, and having invasive testing can remind someone of prior episodes of abuse. This can lead to anxiety about medical visits, flashbacks during the visit, or avoidance of medical care.”
Trauma-informed care seeks to:
o Realize the widespread impact of trauma and understand paths for recovery
o Recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in patients, families, and staff
o Integrate knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and
o Actively avoid re-traumatization.
Self-compassion
Psychological trauma can affect a person’s thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and feelings of self. Learning how to use self-compassion helps patients to recover from trauma. Patients learn not to judge themselves and to accept their thoughts and feelings.
This form of treatment can help those dealing with:
Personality disorders
Other co-occurring disorders, such as hoarding
Acute mental health challenges such as psychosis
Links
Healing from Sexual Abuse
Trauma-informed Care
The Role of Self-Compassion in Trauma-Informed Care
