Trauma Therapy Explained: Finding Safety, Support, and Recovery
April 30, 2025 | By Dana Harron
This is a repost of our blog originally posted in 2020.
Many people are surprised to learn that the most important parts of trauma therapy often have little to do with revisiting the trauma itself. Instead, trauma therapy focuses on changing the effect that trauma has had on your body and brain.
How Trauma Affects the Brain and Body
We all have neurological systems designed to help us respond to overwhelming threats.
There are two main systems:
Fight/Flight System: This is the one most people are familiar with, your heart races, muscles tense, and you're ready to run or defend yourself.
Freeze/Collapse System: This lesser-known system explains why many people who have experienced trauma may go numb, feel disconnected, or have difficulty experiencing emotions.
These systems get automatically activated when things seem overwhelming, and can really be quite helpful at the time. The problem is that if you have been exposed to a traumatic situation, these healthy and adaptive mechanisms often get stuck in the “on” position.
Depending on which system is activated, you might feel:
Tense, anxious, or constantly on edge
Slow, dull, or emotionally shut down
Like you're outside of your body or watching your life from a distance
Many trauma survivors alternate between these states, making it difficult to feel stable or grounded day-to-day.
Creating Safety
The first step in trauma therapy is learning how to deactivate these stress response systems. This often begins with simple, grounding practices that help you feel safe in your body.
Source- Unsplash.com
Some helpful tools include:
Listening to calming music
Taking a walk in nature
Creating art or journaling
Spending time with pets
It’s important that you choose tools that really work for you, and a good trauma therapist can help you to decide what skills are the most likely to help on a neurological, brain-based level. Therapy at this stage is less about talking and more about retraining the brain and body to feel safe again.
Exploring the Impact of Trauma
This step comes once you’ve learned to feel in your body and safe with your therapist, you can start exploring how trauma has affected your life. You can talk and work with your therapist on things that might include:
Understanding how trauma impacts your thoughts, feelings, and relationships
Working on relationship patterns, boundaries, and support systems
Addressing habits or behaviors like addiction, compulsions, or self-criticism that may have developed as coping mechanisms
At this point in therapy, many people begin to feel more clarity, emotional stability, and hope for the future.
Revisiting Your Trauma Story
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Finally, the last step is after all this groundwork is complete, you might begin to really explore your trauma history. This stage work is difficult but important to do because it puts the trauma in a new context. Perhaps before you didn’t have any power or choice, but now you can be supported by your therapist, you can explore your trauma at your own pace. You’ll have the power to choose how much or how little you want to address. This part of the process can be emotional and even destabilizing at times but if you've laid the groundwork, it can also be deeply healing. You may begin to see yourself not just as a survivor of trauma, but as the author of your own story.
Healing from Trauma
With effective trauma treatment behaviors that you may have formed in order to deal with the overwhelming feelings (or lack of feelings) associated with the trauma can be addressed more readily. As trauma therapy progresses, you may begin to address behaviors that developed in response to overwhelming emotions. These might include:
Substance use
Codependent or unhealthy relationships
Harsh self-talk or self-neglect
With effective trauma counseling, many people report feeling more comfortable in their bodies, more trusting of others, and more compassionate toward themselves. Healing is possible, and you don’t have to do it alone.
Reach Out
If you’re considering professional support, we’re here to help. Please reach out to schedule a free, no-commitment consultation. There’s no fee and no obligation—just click the button below to get started.
You can also call or text us at 202-656-3681, or email us directly. Give yourself the opportunity for the support you deserve.