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When a friend or loved one has been impacted by a traumatic event, it can be distressing and confusing to stand with them and watch them try to deal with the effects of such an experience. It can also feel overwhelming to the person trying to help or support when he or she doesn’t feel as if he/she has the tools necessary to respond to the traumatized person. If you are wondering what you can do to be supportive to a person dealing with a recent trauma, here are some places to start: Listen. Telling our stories is powerful and healing for human beings. It helps us to make sense of what has happened, to consolidate our memories of the events, and to feel heard and supported. Doing what we sometimes call “active listening” can be really important to survivors of trauma. This means devoting your attention to the act of listening carefully—without judging, interrupting, or making self-referencing comments. Asking questions is, however, an important part of active listening, as it shows that you are interested in getting the details right. Don’t judge. Try to assume a stance of curiosity about the person’s story. Judgments are a heavy burden that trauma survivors become all too familiar with. Don’t add to this burden. Often, the person is struggling with internal judgments about the trauma and his or her reaction to it. You can help by simply supporting the person without implying that he or she should (or shouldn’t) have done something differently, that he or she did

Sunda Friedman TeBockhorst, PhD – When a friend or loved one experiences trauma, the effects can be difficult to watch, let alone address. These tips may help. Read More: Tips for Supporting a Friend or Loved One

Post traumatic stress disorder can be a powerful adversary. Being trapped in old memories and fear-filled events induces feelings of helplessness, constant danger, and lack of control. Feeling stuck in this world produces symptoms that may be hard, if not impossible, to overcome alone. Caring therapy in Boulder, CO is the best way to learn to heal the memories that haunt your past. One of the methods that we use is called Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT). Using several techniques to help you not only overcome your traumatic event but understand it, you will find your symptoms melting away as you feel stronger, more capable, and happier. If you have experienced a traumatic event and notice the following symptoms, then it’s time to seek out therapeutic methods: Reliving the event, whether through nightmares or flashbacks. Avoidance of people or places that may induce a memory of the event. Changing beliefs and feelings in a negative way (in relation to people, activities, or yourself). Hyperarousal With CPT, we use a four-step process to ensure a well-rounded healing: Education. Learn about PTSD, its symptoms, and their presence in your life as well as how CPT is going to combat these negative feelings. Awareness. By focusing on your thoughts and feelings as traumatic memories occur, you can better analyze how you are reacting to the memories, and how they are affecting your life. Acquiring skills. Once you are aware of how you react to the memory, you can begin to decide how you would rather react, defending reason and fighting

First discovered in 1987 when Francine Shapiro was walking through a park, the later coined Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a type of therapy which uses eye movement, along with other physical stimuli, to neutralize anxiety or trauma-related issues.  Although it seems strange at first, EMDR has been tested and shown its worth. In 1989, three controlled studies were published revealing the remarkable effects of EMDR on the patients’ ability to be desensitized to traumatic memories and improve their cognitive assessments in as little as one session.  The research does not stop there.  Over 20 positive controlled studies have been done since then, showing the amazing healing powers of this therapy.  One showed that about 90% of trauma victims were completely relieved of their PTSD in as little as three, 90 minute sessions.  Another study showed that 77% of combat veterans were totally free of PTSD in 12 sessions. The process takes an all-encompassing approach to healing, focusing on healing disturbing past events, handling present situations which cause stress, and developing skills needed to handle future crises.  The technique is performed in eight phases, all of which have a specific goal to get you on the road to recovery, and each relating to reducing trauma or stress in the past, present, or future. The theory comes from the idea that when negative events occur, negative feelings often block complete information processing, making a disconnect.  The example used is that a victim of rape may “know” that rapists are responsible, but she may still feel

“ Last month I wrote about avoidance, one component of trauma-related struggles for many people. Another one of the primary things therapists consider when exploring trauma-related problems is what we call “re-experiencing.” When the natural healing process after a traumatic experience does not go smoothly, one of the things that many people will find themselves struggling with is the fact the memories of the traumatic event won’t seem to settle in and fade into the background, instead remaining very charged and intruding frequently into day-to-day life—re-experiencing. ” –  http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/trauma-and-re-experiencing-the-intrusion-of-past-into-present-0417145

This quote from writer Andrew Solomon contains some important wisdom about the nature of the beast we call depression. It is normal to experience sadness, to have days of feeling grumpy or down. We all have days like this, sometimes a few in row. It is normal to feel sad in response to distressing life events – these are the bumps in the road of life, and for most of us, we navigate over the bumps and get on with the life we recognize as ours. However, when the obstacle is not the normal vicissitudes of daily life, but rather a run-in with depression, this can be altogether a different story. Life becomes a foreign and exhausting experience, where it feels like there is no respite and no hope for a more engaged tomorrow. Here are some things to look for if you aren’t sure whether or not you might benefit from help for depression. ” – http://www.boulderpsychologicalservices.com/tell-difference-blues-symptoms-depression-6-tell-tale-signs/