Woman running in open field with arms outstretched at sunset. Heal from your trauma. EMDR therapy.

Anyone who’s ever experienced emotional trauma knows it leaves wounds that persist long after the events occurred. Whether trauma is caused by the betrayal of a close partner, emotionally abusive parents, or some other distressing memory—our minds struggle to process and make sense of those events. As a result, the aftershocks of those traumas ripple forward through time, impacting patterns of behavior, how we self-regulate, and even how we see the world around us.

Thankfully, several types of therapy are effective in helping us process those emotional traumas. We will explore 4 types of treatment that can help you recover from emotional trauma.

1. EMDR

Developed as a treatment for those with PTSD, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is one of the most effective types of therapy for helping heal past traumas. EMDR therapy takes advantage of the link between rapid back-and-forth eye movements and stimulation of areas of the brain where traumatic memories are stored.

Traumatic memories are often tied up with our body’s fight-or-flight response. When those memories are triggered, it can cause a wide variety of responses: tempers flare, heart rate spikes—we may even spiral into panic without understanding why.

Through the use of bilateral stimulation, clients are often able to reprocess traumatic events and move on with greater peace and clarity. By reprocessing those events in a safe, supportive environment, we heal by decoupling the fight-or-flight response from our memories.

2. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Where EMDR therapy focuses on reprocessing traumatic memories, CBT focuses on challenging the underlying thoughts that give rise to destructive patterns, behaviors, and beliefs.

We learn all sorts of things in school, but we don’t often learn how to challenge our negative thought patterns and self-regulate. Alcohol abuse, video games or porn addiction, and unhealthy eating patterns are ways our bodies self-medicate. We mask our pain with frequently destructive behaviors that offer a quick fix of dopamine. During CBT therapy, clients learn alternative tools and techniques to manage the symptoms of emotional trauma.

CBT is a practical, action-oriented model of therapy. The client and therapist work together to identify the pain points in day-to-day life and the negative thought patterns underpinning them. Then, they put together a plan of action and identify what coping skills and self-regulation techniques work best for each client.

Woman outside at sunrise meditating. Cognitive behavioral therapy charlotte nc. Counseling to recover from emotional trauma.

3. Mindfulness Therapy

It is easiest to understand mindfulness therapy if you first think of emotional trauma as a ghost story. The past reaches out from the grave to hold us back and drag us down. We’re afraid of what might happen because of the past. Emotional traumas render us hypervigilant, sensitive to danger, and constantly seeking signals for how we could be hurt once more. With that in mind, mindfulness therapy helps us by teaching us to focus on the present. Instead of worrying about all the ghosts in our lives, we focus on the sensations in our bodies. We sit with the aches, the pains—the pleasures—and we let them draw our focus instead.

Similar to CBT, mindfulness therapy focuses on teaching skills and techniques that short-circuit the symptoms of our emotional trauma. There are a variety of mindfulness practices out there—we help clients find the ones that work best for them.

4. Group Therapy

One of the effects of emotional trauma is isolation. People with emotional trauma often feel broken and ashamed of themselves as a result of their traumas. Accordingly, we recommend group therapy as a path to recovery. It’s powerfully healing for people to connect with those who understand their pain.

Schedule a Consultation

If you’re interested in learning about one or more of these types of therapies, schedule a free consultation today. I’d love to help you develop a plan for your healing journey. Remember—you aren’t broken; you’re a work in progress.

Street sign at sunset. Mental health appointment. NC Trauma Therapy. Trauma recovery.