Trauma is an unfortunate part of many people’s lives and can occur at almost any age. Experiencing a traumatic event, either personally or witnessing it, can lead to severe mental health issues. Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common conditions associated with trauma. In many cases, a co-occurring substance use disorder often accompanies them. A trauma therapy program can help patients process experiences from their childhood or even a recent event – anything that provokes intense psychological reactions from them.

Left untreated, trauma can lead to painful memories, difficulty controlling emotions, and unintended behaviors that make living a normal, healthy life challenging.

Trauma doesn’t resolve itself easily, and it is difficult to handle on your own. Trauma-informed care at Arkview Recovery can help you regain control of your life. Learn more about our trauma therapy program provided through our mental health treatment center by calling 717.744.0756.

How Does Trauma Occur?

• People experience trauma in different ways and from different sources. Some common traumatic events they may be exposed to include:
• Abuse: This includes verbal, physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.
• Childhood neglect: If you were not well taken care of as a child or were ignored, this can be a traumatic experience.
• Combat: Soldiers that have experienced military combat or police involved in an exchange of gunfire may be more likely to develop PTSD.
• Domestic violence: Even if you weren’t the victim of violence, simply being around during incidences of it may traumatize you. Some people might also have been held captive by someone else at some point in time.
• Surviving an act of nature: A tornado, hurricane, or earthquake can result in a period of trauma for its survivors.
• Surviving a car or plane accident: Similarly, any physical accident you survive may also be traumatic, especially if other people involved didn’t survive.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. However, it is clear that traumatic experiences are extreme and damage a person’s ability to process what they lived through.

Typically, an experience or event is processed by an individual and then stored as a positive or negative memory. Unprocessed trauma can lead to health problems and strange behavior. A person may often feel unsafe, struggle with anxiety and depression, have increased noise sensitivity, and become reactionary or aggressive at odd times. These are common signs of unprocessed trauma and often indicate that a professional trauma therapy program is needed.

How Can Trauma Therapy Help?

Trauma happens when a patient’s ability to cope with a threat to their life, health, or sanity becomes wholly overwhelmed. A trauma therapy program is a form of professional mental health treatment that helps you regain your footing. In a dedicated program, therapists can assist patients in overcoming psychological trauma.

Trauma therapy can help normalize traumatic situations and give clients the perspective they need to see their trauma as what it is: a natural reaction to a past event. By regularly working with trauma therapists, clients can identify triggers, reduce triggers, and find the coping mechanisms they need to prevent traumatic episodes.

Arkview Recovery Offers Trauma Therapy in Pennsylvania

Unfortunately, unresolved trauma affects people every day. Emergency medical responders, police, soldiers, firefighters, and others whose professions revolve around traumatic situations are especially prone to developing trauma disorders.

However, traumatic events and prolonged stress can trigger traumatic episodes in anyone and hamper their ability to function in daily work, home, or school life. Without professional treatment, many will turn to alcohol or drugs to self-soothe and alleviate the symptoms of anxiety or depression, but this only creates a further problem by opening the door to addiction and co-occurring disorders.

At Arkview Recovery, we understand the effects of trauma can be long-lasting and detrimental to long-term health. If you’ve experienced trauma or are experiencing signs of prolonged stress and PTSD, we can help. Call us now at 717.744.0756 to enroll in our program today.