Traumatherapy

Trauma therapy (or trauma-focused therapy) is a specialized type of psychotherapy, that helps people to heal from the emotional and psychological effects of trauma. Traumatic events can be for example abuse, accidents, violence or any deeply schocking experience. Typical symtoms by the trauma are hypervigilance, sleeping disorders, flashbacks and fears.

The beginning of the traumatherapy is tailored to make you understand how trauma affects your body and brain. The therapist will also have to get understanding about your life span and actual  symptoms. The foundation for safety and stability will be built. You will receive  tools and resources to regulate intensive feelings and manage distress. In the processing phase the goal is to help the individual reprocess and integrate traumatic memories in a way that reduces their distress a. The trauma related feelings and memories slowly stay in the past and do not occur to your mind unvoluntarily.

The final phase of trauma therapy is about reclaiming one’s life beyond trauma. After processing is complete, clients often feel a renewed sense of self, identity and purpose. 

EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) is a structured and efficient traumatherapy method, basing to  bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories. Other popular traumatherapy tools are for example narrative exposition therapy NET and Somatic experiencing.

A traumatherapy can last from few weeks to several months or even years in cases of severe traumadisorders or dissociative disorders. Praxis Kinnunen has at the moment openings for traumatherapy.