Psychology has come a long way since the 1990’s. New research has brought a more compassionate approach to healing trauma survivors. Gone are the days of the one-size-fits-all treatment plan. Thanks to the trauma informed, we now have multiple treatment options. That’s because psychology today understands that we all have unique needs. And what works for one survivor won’t necessarily work for all. It no longer means “there must be something wrong with the survivor.” It simply means it’s the wrong treatment.
Trauma informed therapy means the therapist you’re dealing with makes sure they stay updated on the latest researches and treatments. And it reads like a series of green flags for great therapy. That’s because the old approach of “What’s wrong with you?” is fully rejected in favor of “What happened to you?” And that isn’t the only great change that’s been made. Whereas the old approach was the “expert analysist” directing us on what to do, we are the ones in control. We even get to collaborate with our therapist on our treatment plan.
Before we celebrate too much, understand that there are those who claim to be trauma informed but their approaches contradict the very principles of this sort of therapy. But instead of listing the red flags of bad therapists, this article addresses what your expectations should be. Know your rights as a trauma survivor. Because any therapist who fails to meet these basic principles is not as trauma informed as they claim.
Your Trauma Informed Bill of Rights
Let’s start with a short overview. This way you have a one glance checklist of what you should expect.
- “What happened to you?” Trauma informed therapy revolves around this question.
- Each therapist will have their own specialties. Two or more types of treatments they use that has helped them help their clients most effectively.
- Transparency & Collaboration. This means all trauma informed therapists must be both humble and confident. They will share what treatments they use and how they expect it to work for you (confidence). But because collaborating is another requirement, the therapist makes adjustments according to your needs (humility).
- Reminds you that you are in charge of the pace of your healing and how you heal. Healing isn’t a race and no two healing journeys look the same.
- A safe and trusting environment while processing your trauma. The therapist should act as your secure base while you explore both yourself and your past.
- “What is it you would like to work on?” This is when we’re moving into our post-traumatic growth stage. We begin to understand some of the ongoing problems we developed due to trauma and we want to improve our lives moving forward. So, even at this stage, we are still in charge.
What Type of Treatments Should I Expect?
I cannot say this enough. There are multiple treatment options for trauma survivors. But the most popular current treatments for Complex-PTSD are:
- Somatic Work: This is because new research has discovered that trauma is stored in the body. So, it’s body work and also what’s known as “bottom up therapies”. Bottom up refers to parts of the brain. The traditional “talk therapy” is known as the top down approach. Some of the somatic or “bottom up” therapies include: Massage Therapy; Neurofeedback; Nutrition; Rebirthing; Reichian; Rolfing; Rosen Method Body Work; Somatic Experiencing; TRE (Trauma Release Exercises); Sensate Focusing; Yoga.
- EMDR: (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) This one uses rapid eye movement while processing our trauma. It relies on building a strong safe place in your mind first. Each session relies on a sort of two-step maneuver. Processing the traumatic memory through rapid eye movement for a few minutes, then go to safe place for a minute or two, and back to processing the memory again. And so on. It’s highly effective for many but it is intense and it is not for everyone. Having a solid foothold on your trauma before approaching EMDR is something I strongly recommend.
- IFS: (Internal Family Systems) This is also known as “parts therapy”. It’s based on the concept that we all developed parts within that protect the exiles, which are our traumatic memories. So, we get to know the parts and then we get to know the exiles and release them. It’s inner child work, reparenting, and self-discovery. It can at times be intense, but a good IFS therapist can help you create “containers” or space inside your head to guard you against the emotion overwhelm that some exiles may cause.
Be open to other options as well!
Just because the “most popular” treatments seem to work for “everyone” does not mean they will work for your unique needs. The above list are mere suggestions on where you might want to start looking. Since there are multiple options, it’s unrealistic to expect any therapist to specialize in all of them. So, all trauma informed therapists have to sort of “niche down” and find what works best for them on helping their clients.
I have a couple of great examples for you. My yoga therapist was also certified on Brene Brown and she would occasionally use CBT. Notice how yoga is part of somatic work, but Brene Brown and CBT aren’t listed in the “most popular” treatments for Complex-PTSD. But by blending these therapies, it worked! My EMDR therapist also used Choice Theory and DBT. Here again, two treatment plans that don’t fall under the “most popular” list.
All therapists have a bio you can find online. It lists their certifications and specialties. This can help you narrow down your search prior to your first meeting. Then on your first meeting, ask questions about their treatments.
Transparency and Collaboration
Get a feel for who your therapist is. They should be confident enough to explain how their treatments may help you but also humble enough to accept that adjustments might be necessary to better fit your unique needs. They should be asking you questions as well, like how much healing work you have done and also the sort of trauma you have endured. This helps them get a feel for your unique needs so that they can offer up suggestions on how to proceed.
You’re likely wondering, “How will I know if their treatments are right for me?” Well, the short answer is that in most cases, we won’t know until we try it. But I can tell you this much based on my experiences with both bad therapy and good. Any therapist who is both confident and humble tends to meet most of the other requirements for trauma informed therapy. This is because transparency and collaboration require the practice of these traits. Of course, we also want a skilled therapist and yours should be honest about their experience on that first meeting.
For example, my EMDR therapist told me that he had experience treating PTSD in combat soldiers and also a survivor of sexual assault, but I was his first childhood trauma client. He was being transparent and honest with me. He shared his experience and also his inexperience in our first meeting. I chose him because I respected his candor. He made it clear that while he had successfully treated PTSD, he was willing to learn how to treat Complex-PTSD. So, in other words, we were both going to learn.
Collaboration Weeds Out the Over-Confident (Arrogant) Therapists
The best advice I can give anyone on good therapy is saying no to an over-confident therapist purely because they lack humility. (See my last article on the Dunning-Kruger Effect. It’s a history lesson on 90’s quackery, when all the therapists were using one treatment plan for all survivors of childhood trauma.) Trauma informed therapy is meant to be elastic. It’s now understood that there is no “one-size-fits all” treatment plan anymore. So, any therapist who is uncompromisable with their treatment plan might mean they are “trauma informed” but they are not using its basic principles in their practice.
So, all trauma informed practices require a therapist who is humble enough to compromise with you. This is where collaboration comes in. You get to tell your therapist what may or may not work for you. And then you work together on a plan that’s more suitable. The practice of trauma informed therapy means your therapist should always remember that you are the one in charge. An arrogant therapist will always forget that part.
My EMDR therapist went one step further in his willingness to collaborate with me on my treatment plan. Once he realized (post-EMDR) that his other two specialties, Choice Theory and DBT weren’t doing much for me, he started scrounging for other resources, including the internet for fresh printouts to give me. Then he would ask, “Does this help you?” Sometimes it did, sometimes it didn’t, but he was always accepting. And all it took was me confiding a problem I wanted to work on and he didn’t have an immediate answer. He was determined to find something for me by our next session. It was ongoing proof that he cared and was always on my side.
Safety, Trust, Honesty in Trauma Informed Therapy
Now that we’ve established all the ways you are in charge, we need to cover the times you may not be in charge. But you are still receiving trauma informed therapy. Sometimes your therapist may sense that your trauma is overwhelming. Or it could be that they want to provide you with plenty of tools before you start processing your trauma. Some interruptions might feel downright weird. But there is a science behind what’s going on. It’s every trauma informed therapist’s job to ensure that you are not re-traumatized by processing those painful memories. Because it can happen if you move too fast. A good rule of thumb is to accept that healing slowly is far better than rushing the process. As both my yoga therapist and EMDR therapist said, “You did not develop Complex-PTSD overnight. So, you cannot expect it to heal overnight.”
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