An Act Of Love: Healing Emotional Trauma
Healing emotional trauma begins with understanding it. Emotional trauma is stress exploded beyond a person’s ability to process an extreme life experience or to cope with the occurrence. It can be caused by a number of triggers - the sudden loss of a loved one, a serious accident or injury, violence or continuous violent abuse, abuse in all its forms, prolonged neglect or an incident where extreme fear resulted from neglect, natural disasters, amongst others factors. Being a witness to such an occurrence, particularly where serious injury, fatalities or emotional suffering are involved, can also be a cause.
Healing emotional distress is an act of love. In my opinion, it should be done by someone with knowledge and expertise, with the active support of friends and loved ones who if not involved, could unintentionally exacerbate the condition. The expression “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” can be tragically true when unqualified do-gooders decide to ‘help.’ This is especially true in cases where childhood emotional trauma is involved.
Healing emotional trauma is a team function
There are a number of organizations and individuals qualified in the field of healing emotional trauma - psychiatrists, psychologists and trained counsellors in various organizations and private practices are available. However, I feel that the person’s direct family or appointed friends should be involved in understanding the therapy involved. They form an important part of the team in healing emotional trauma, as they are the ones who are close to the sufferer in everyday life situations. By understanding the process, they are able to offer support and encouragement. Most important in my mind is that they understand enough to not destroy all the progress being made by the patient and the professionals!
Healing emotional trauma, or treatment, to be more accurate, usually takes the form of talk therapy, behaviour therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, where one knowingly changes one’s thoughts and actions, and a systematic approach to desensitizing the factor that triggers the trauma – or reducing the intensity of the reaction to it.
I have read that more recent developments in healing emotional trauma can include forms of psychotherapy and body therapies related to new brain science information, incorporating neurological stimuli. The technicalities of healing emotional trauma are not the topic of my discourse here, but the need for it.
Emotional trauma is real and cruel. Healing emotional trauma is crucial to the sufferer’s well-being and potential in life – but it is also a way of preventing more emotional trauma to others, resulting from behavioural disorders of the sufferer. Supporting the healing process is an act of love. Don’t just hope that it’ll go away.
Healing emotional distress is an act of love. In my opinion, it should be done by someone with knowledge and expertise, with the active support of friends and loved ones who if not involved, could unintentionally exacerbate the condition. The expression “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” can be tragically true when unqualified do-gooders decide to ‘help.’ This is especially true in cases where childhood emotional trauma is involved.
Healing emotional trauma is a team function
There are a number of organizations and individuals qualified in the field of healing emotional trauma - psychiatrists, psychologists and trained counsellors in various organizations and private practices are available. However, I feel that the person’s direct family or appointed friends should be involved in understanding the therapy involved. They form an important part of the team in healing emotional trauma, as they are the ones who are close to the sufferer in everyday life situations. By understanding the process, they are able to offer support and encouragement. Most important in my mind is that they understand enough to not destroy all the progress being made by the patient and the professionals!
Healing emotional trauma, or treatment, to be more accurate, usually takes the form of talk therapy, behaviour therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, where one knowingly changes one’s thoughts and actions, and a systematic approach to desensitizing the factor that triggers the trauma – or reducing the intensity of the reaction to it.
I have read that more recent developments in healing emotional trauma can include forms of psychotherapy and body therapies related to new brain science information, incorporating neurological stimuli. The technicalities of healing emotional trauma are not the topic of my discourse here, but the need for it.
Emotional trauma is real and cruel. Healing emotional trauma is crucial to the sufferer’s well-being and potential in life – but it is also a way of preventing more emotional trauma to others, resulting from behavioural disorders of the sufferer. Supporting the healing process is an act of love. Don’t just hope that it’ll go away.
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