Top Myths About Trauma Therapy

Therapy, mental health awareness, and information about the impact of trauma are everywhere in present day times. From social media to the news, it’s impossible to avoid information about trauma therapy. With so much information out there, it can be confusing to determine the facts from the fiction when starting therapy with a new trauma therapist.

Things have been tough lately and you’ve been thinking about seeing someone. With so much information out there, some of that information feels concerning and you have some questions about what you’ve heard. You are trying to figure out what you need and what to expect when starting with a new trauma therapist. As an integrative trauma therapist in Oakland, CA, let’s talk about some of the top myths I’ve heard and the truths behind those myths.

You are going to have to tell your therapist everything about your trauma on Day 1.

When it comes to sharing your trauma history, less is more at first. I know that can feel counter intuitive, but sharing a detailed account of painful experiences on day 1 can actually be more harmful than helpful. I’ve noticed that often when clients arrive at that first session, there’s this idea that they have to say everything right up front about what happened to them. Sharing a high level view of your trauma history does help, but before you get too deep into the details, you need to first establish trust with your therapist and some skills to regulate your nervous system so you don’t “re-live” your trauma. A skilled trauma therapist will help you “titrate” your trauma experience in bite sized doses, while keeping you grounded in the present moment so you don’t feel like you are experiencing that traumatic event all over again.

You are going to suffer from trauma symptoms for the rest of your life.

Half true. If you don’t address the root cause of the symptoms (the trauma), it is possible that you will continue to live with some trauma symptoms. Good news is, trauma is treatable. Even with healing your trauma, this doesn’t mean that you won’t experience difficult experiences or moments in your life where you struggle. To be human, means to sometimes struggle. Trauma treatment will help you bring the intensity of that struggle down, so that when it does come up, you feel more than capable of self regulating those difficult emotions, and riding out that wave of intensity to calmer waters.

I don’t need therapy. If I’m strong, I can get over it on my own.

Sure, you can probably muscle your way through your life without ever going to therapy- but why would you want to? If you don’t address the root cause of your symptoms, time will not heal those wounds. It’s likely you will continue to experience challenges in your relationships, emotions and functioning. That being said, there are additional proactive ways to work towards healing through alternative healing practices (a topic for another day!) - but working with a trauma therapist can bring profound results. Client’s typically find enormous improvement in their ability to connect more deeply in their relationships, improvement in anxiety, depression, and other mental health symptoms, and more clarity on who they are and what they want in life. This can be a huge paradigm shift and level up in life for folks who choose to work on themselves through therapy.

I’ve heard its going to feel worse before it can be better. Why would I want to do that?

Ah, another half true myth. Therapy can bring up uncomfortable stuff. Looking at those difficult experiences brings clarity (oh that’s why I have that emotion, reaction, etc) which can feel like a lot at first. A skilled trauma therapist will help you work through this discovery at a pace that feels respectful to your mind and body, to not overwhelm you in this process. Typically, a trauma therapist will work to strengthen your skills to manage these difficult emotions before working with the “hard stuff”, so that you feel equipped and ready and not completely overwhelmed.

Trauma therapy is only for “big” things, like life threatening events or physical/ sexual abuse.

Not true. Many of the clients I work with don’t realize that they have experienced “trauma” because they feel that their experience is “little” or “not as bad” as someone who’s experienced something like physical or sexual abuse. Your experience is your experience. It does not help to compare your difficult life experience with another’s. Having experienced a trauma simply means that you’ve experienced a difficult life experience that overwhelmed your body and mind at the time of that experience. Mental health symptoms (anxiety, depression, panic etc) are reverberations of that experience that your body and mind are trying to sort through. Trauma therapy helps bring your body and mind into equilibrium, processing those difficult experiences so can feel more at ease in the present moment.

I hope this helps you find the right trauma therapist in Oakland, CA. If you are still feeling stuck, feel free to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation through my contact page. I’d be happy to hear about what is happening and help direct you to the right person. If you are looking for help with anxiety & stress, trauma & PTSD, harm reduction for addictive behaviors, or couples therapy, you can read more about how I can help here.