How to Heal From Trauma: 20 Tips From a Trauma-Informed Therapist

Understanding the Effects of Trauma

Trauma leaves deep and lasting impressions on those affected, impacting their mental, physical, and emotional well-being. It can contribute to various mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and addiction. Survivors often struggle with basic needs such as sleeping, eating, and enjoying time with loved ones. These challenges can lead to difficulties in functioning and maintaining daily responsibilities, significantly disrupting their lives.

Effects of trauma may include:

• Mental health issues: Untreated trauma can have many mental health impacts, including the development of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or complex PTSD. Untreated trauma can also leave a person more vulnerable to developing other mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety disorders, substance use disorder, and dissociative issues.
• Behavioral problems: Unresolved trauma can also lead a person to be more prone to behavioral problems, such as engaging in risky behaviors, substance misuse, and difficulty with impulse control. After experiencing trauma, the survivor typically becomes focused on maintaining a semblance of control over any possible aspects of their life they can.
• Physical health: Untreated trauma can also impact a person’s physical health as well, including more general impacts such as inflammation and weight gain or more serious impacts such as fibromyalgia, autoimmune disorders, and cancer.¹
• Low self-esteem: Trauma can disrupt a person’s sense of self, their understanding of others, and can make them believe that the world as a whole is a generally unsafe place. This loss of identity and doubt/fear of moving through the world can make it difficult for a person to feel confidence in themselves.
• Relationship problems: Because of behavioral and mental health issues, low self-esteem, and the potential to struggle to trust others, trauma can have a profound negative impact on a person’s relationships. The hypervigilance a person can experience after trauma can make them suspicious and fearful, which often can lead to arguments and ruptures in the relationship.
• Emotional dysregulation: After experiencing trauma, the brain goes on high alert to monitor for threats to try to prevent experiencing trauma again. When all of a person’s emotional energy is directed toward survival, there is very little emotional bandwidth left to regulate emotions. This can look like angry outbursts, anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts or attempts, or self-harm.

How to Heal From Trauma

The path toward healing from trauma is not universal, meaning people must find their direction through experimentation. What works for one person may not suit your unique needs. However, starting with the foundations, like honoring your needs and seeking support, can get you started on your healing journey. In addition, developing positive coping skills and practicing patience can help you stay grounded when anxious or overwhelmed.

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1. Acknowledge the Event

Following a trauma, people may be reluctant to accept the event. They slip into a state of denial and act like nothing significant has happened. However, ignoring the event halts healing from trauma and robs you of validation. Take time to retrace the trauma and consider the situation. Doing so will be uncomfortable, but healing from trauma cannot come without discomfort.

Free Trauma Worksheets

This collection of worksheets provides practical tools and strategies for managing trauma symptoms. Find the right one for you, or download the entire workbook here.

The Complete Workbook Download

Identifying Trauma Triggers Download

Self-Care for Trauma Download

Cognitive Restructuring Download

Setting SMART Goals Download

Personal Strengths Inventory Download

Setting Healthy Boundaries Download

Overcoming Shame Download

2. Get Back Into Your Routine

Trauma can impact every aspect of life, including your thoughts, feelings, and behavior. You may even feel disconnected from your routine pre-trauma. Reflect on your schedule before the traumatic event and return to old habits that help you stay grounded and stable. Familiarity can help the healing from the trauma process.

3. Focus On Your Physical Health

How you feel physically can significantly impact how you feel mentally. Focus on maintaining a healthy diet, exercise routine, and sleep schedule. These changes are crucial to healthy brain and body functioning. Good nutrition ensures you have the energy and motivation to accomplish your goals. Exercise produces endorphins and “feel-good” hormones to combat anxiety and trauma symptoms. You can even try trauma-release exercises. Finally, sleep can restore the mind and recharge your battery for the next day.

4. Surround Yourself With People You Love

Healing from trauma is painful, and people are much more likely to be successful when they are surrounded by supportive loved ones. It’s common to feel shame about the trauma or develop a fear of people, which can lead you to become hyper-independent because of the trauma. However, this approach often reinforces feelings of fear and shame. Allowing yourself to lean on others and share your burden can be a crucial step in overcoming these feelings and finding a path to healing.

It’s important to remember that people who have not experienced trauma may not know how to communicate with you following the event but still want to offer support. If you have the energy, educate your loved ones about how to help someone with PTSD. Doing so can ensure they recognize their role in your healing and provide the support you need. Feel free to be vulnerable, honest, and open about your needs and accept their efforts as you work toward healing from trauma together.

5. Seek Professional Support

Healing can be complicated and painful to untangle, and mental health therapists are trained to guide you through this process. There are several types of trauma therapy to consider, but all of these will focus on processing what you went through, building a sense of safety and stability in your life, as well as getting back to being as functional as you possibly can after healing.

6. Learn Your Trauma Triggers

Being aware of your trauma triggers is an important part of healing from trauma so that you can manage your exposure to them and regulate yourself better in the aftermath of being surprisingly exposed to a trigger. Once you are aware of your triggers, you can also work on exposure therapy to build your tolerance of the trigger and reduce its impact overall. A therapist can help you learn your trauma triggers and develop strategies to empower you to cope with them.

7. Focus on Gradual Exposure

Triggers and memories can be debilitating and disrupt your ability to function and be present in your current life. Gradual exposure refers to slowly exposing yourself to trauma triggers and memories while regulating yourself to help your nervous system learn that the triggers and memories do not pose an actual threat to you in the current moment.

8. Practice Mindfulness or Meditation

Survivors frequently experience intrusive thoughts about the trauma and PTSD flashbacks. Practicing mindfulness and meditation for PTSD encourages you to observe your thoughts and feelings without judgment. This can help you to accept your experiences without becoming overwhelmed, reducing the intensity and distress associated with these memories.

9. Avoid Substance Misuse

Traumas are intensely negative experiences. Because the impacts are so significant, people frequently turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with the distress. While substances can provide temporary relief, they can prevent healing from trauma and negatively impact well-being. Instead of turning to substances, try to distract yourself with other stimulating activities, such as an intense HIT workout or a video game. If you are in a social setting where everyone is drinking, try to practice mindful drinking to protect yourself from overdrinking and feeling worse.

10. Feel Your Feelings

After someone experiences trauma, a common response to emotional experiences is to dissociate or emotionally numb instead of feeling the feelings that come up. Being able to experience emotions is a huge part of healing from trauma, but it can cause emotional flooding if not done appropriately. When getting in touch with feelings again, it is best to start with emotions that feel safest and to start with feeling a small amount for a short period of time and then build up from there.

11. Consider Medication

Healing can be intense and uncomfortable, on top of already disruptive symptoms from trauma. Medication for PTSD can help manage symptoms that are preventing you from healing. The purpose of medication is to make recovery more likely, take less time, and help you remain as present in your life as possible during treatment. Sometimes, you may need to continue or change medication after your therapeutic work has ended, and sometimes, they will no longer need medication to function.

12 Journal Your Experience

Journaling about trauma can help you process your experience. Feel free to experiment with options that suit your needs. For instance, you can write for extended periods, emptying every thought and feeling onto the page. Or, you could dedicate time specifically to identifying trauma triggers.

However you start, journaling can seem uncomfortable initially. However, this practice rids your mind of unhelpful thoughts and provides insight into your life, needs, and trauma. Many journaling apps and prompts are available to help you in the beginning.

13. Join a Support Group

Trauma often leaves a person feeling shame and embarrassment over their experience, which can be incredibly isolating and lonely. Joining a support group can help not only disrupt the shame after a traumatic experience that someone may be feeling but can also lend a sense of community to others who are better able to understand and support the experience that you are having. Support groups are available online and in person.

14. Indulge in Self-Care

Survivors often struggle with a lot of self-hatred because the traumatic event can lead to feelings of worthlessness and shame, particularly if the survivor believes the trauma is their fault. Practicing all types of self-care can help to combat this self-hatred because it physically reminds you that your body is worthy of feeling good. These activities can appear different for everyone but center around self-love and compassion. Healthy examples include taking a long bath, listening to music, eating a yummy meal, or watching your favorite movie.

15. Reconnect With Your Body

Trauma has a profound impact on both a person’s mind and a person’s body. Trauma can become stored in the body, so it is often a survival response for a person to become disconnected from their body and physical sensations to avoid trauma reminders and triggers. Getting reconnected with your body is an essential part of healing after trauma and getting your life back. This is often done through somatic exercises to release trauma from the body and can include things like paced deep breathing and trauma-informed yoga practice.

16. Set & Achieve Small Goals

Setting and achieving reasonable goals can help you recover from trauma in many ways. It can help you build self-esteem and remember that you are capable. It can help you work on regaining functionality in your day-to-day life. It can also lend a sense of purpose to your day if you are struggling with feelings of hopelessness or getting out of bed due to depression from the trauma.

17. Do Something Fun & Creative Each Day

In the aftermath of trauma, having fun can feel impossible. Trauma survivors often cycle through sadness, anxiety, and shame. However, stepping outside your comfort zone and engaging in fun activities is a great way to distract yourself from your pain and provide a new perspective. Moreover, creative activities may provide ways to communicate uncomfortable thoughts and feelings. Drawing, singing, and dancing are all great forms of expression.

18. Remind Yourself of Your Strengths

Trauma can be so disruptive to your nervous system that it can be easy to lose sight of who you are and the ways that you matter – which opens the door for low self-esteem and self-loathing. Reminding yourself of your strengths helps you to keep connected to yourself and to build resiliency in order to be able to persevere through the discomfort of healing work.

19. Practice Gratitude

Practicing gratitude can be a powerful tool in the healing process. Trauma often shifts focus to negative experiences and feelings, but intentionally identifying and appreciating positive aspects of your life can help balance this perspective. Start by noting down small things you are grateful for each day. This practice can help shift your mindset, build resilience, and create a sense of peace and contentment, aiding in your overall recovery journey.

20. Don’t Rush the Process

Successfully healing from trauma means never rushing the process, taking shortcuts, or ignoring your problems. Trauma healing requires patience and understanding. Remember, your experience is not linear–you will inevitably face setbacks. A cycle of success and fallbacks is typical and expected. As long as you continue engaging in positive coping skills and moving forward, success is possible.

Benefits of Healing From Trauma

While some people emerge from a traumatic experience with a new sense of resiliency and reassurance (i.e., post-traumatic growth) without needing to do intentional healing work, most people need to prepare to be uncomfortable and push through to see healing and growth. Despite this, there are so many benefits to healing from trauma – such as regaining a sense of purpose, living the life you want to live, having healthy and meaningful relationships, and increasing self-confidence. You deserve to be taken care of well, and oftentimes, this care has to begin with ourselves.

When to Seek Professional Help

Trauma is powerful, regardless of the source, event, or experience. Fortunately, experts know how to address and treat your symptoms. Finding the right therapist can be pivotal when healing from trauma. Grow Therapy is an online therapist directory that offers many detailed search options that make finding a trauma-informed therapist easy. If you prefer to see a therapist remotely, BetterHelp or Talkspace can provide you with therapists who specialize in trauma.

If you have developed PTSD, depression, panic attacks, or self-harm, you may want to explore medication options. Talkiatry or Cerebral are reliable online psychiatry services that provide comprehensive care for individuals who are suffering from trauma.