14 Types of Therapy for Trauma

What Is Trauma Therapy?

Trauma therapy, otherwise known as trauma-informed therapy, is a specialized form of therapy designed to help individuals process and heal from traumatic experiences.  It focuses on addressing the psychological and physiological impacts of trauma, providing strategies to manage and reduce symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD.

Trauma therapies can address challenges from various traumatic experiences, such as childhood trauma, sexual trauma, domestic violence, racism, and natural disasters.

Is Therapy Effective for Trauma?

Many different therapeutic approaches can significantly reduce or even eliminate the debilitating symptoms associated with trauma. These therapies work by focusing on reducing a person’s reactivity to traumatic memories and trauma triggers. Additionally, they aim to increase a sense of stability and safety, helping a person to function better in all areas of their life. In fact, recent research has shown that psychotherapy treatments are more effective than medication, regardless of the type of trauma therapy used.¹

14 Types of Therapy for Trauma

There are many different types of therapy that can effectively treat trauma. Popular modalities include cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), somatic therapy, and trauma-focused CBT. No matter the modality, the goal of all types of trauma therapies is to create a safe and supportive environment where individuals can explore their traumatic memories, develop coping skills, and work toward recovery and resilience.

Here are fourteen types of trauma therapies:^{2, 3, 4, 5, 6}

1. Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)

Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) is a therapy designed to help a person become less sensitive to traumatic memories by recalling and reliving the experience in a safe, therapeutic environment. During an EMDR session, the therapist uses bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, sounds, or tapping. This process helps the brain reprocess the traumatic memory, which can reduce the emotional intensity and distress associated with the trauma.

EMDR allows a person to remember their traumatic experiences while feeling safe in the present. This helps their mind and body understand that the trauma is over. The therapist will also work with the client to change any negative beliefs about themselves that may still linger from the trauma.

Length of treatment: Typically around 6-20 sessions, although it ranges widely.
Who would benefit from EMDR for trauma: People who struggle with traumatic memories and feel that the intensity of their memories is overwhelming.
Who may not be a good fit for EMDR for trauma: People who struggle with dissociation or dissociative disorders are often not a good fit for EMDR because of the emotional detachment that comes with heavy dissociation.

2. Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE)

Prolonged exposure therapy (PE) is a form of exposure therapy used to address PTSD avoidance behaviors. Trauma survivors typically avoid reminders of their trauma to protect themselves from overwhelming fear and pain. Unfortunately, doing so only further reinforces fear. Throughout treatment, the therapist uses systematic desensitization techniques, gradually exposing the client to trauma triggers in a safe way. Over time, this helps reduce their symptoms and promotes healing. The therapist will teach the client relaxation and grounding techniques to use when exposed to their trauma triggers. This way, clients can learn that these memories are not dangerous and do not need to be avoided.

Length of treatment: Typically around 8-15 sessions.
Who would benefit from PE for trauma: PE has been studied and found to be effective in a wide range of traumatic experiences and populations, as long as the person clearly remembers the traumatic event.⁷
Who may not be a good fit for PE for trauma: People who cannot recall their traumatic memories at all or with any amount of detail and people who cannot/are not willing to tolerate the discomfort that comes with reliving their traumatic memories.

3. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT for PTSD is a therapy based on the idea that a person’s thoughts and behaviors are connected. This means that changing their thought patterns can lead to better behaviors. Trauma often creates negative, false beliefs about oneself, seen through a lens of horror, pain, or shame. These beliefs are usually inaccurate and overly critical. In CBT, the therapist helps clients challenge these thoughts and provides a more objective, compassionate, and informed perspective, which helps to change these harmful beliefs.

Length of treatment: Typically around 12-20 sessions.
Who would benefit from CBT for trauma: People who are experiencing depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Who may not be a good fit for CBT for trauma: People who are not ready to confront their traumas and people who cannot/are not willing to tolerate the discomfort that comes with reliving their traumatic memories. 

4. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Cognitive processing therapy (PT) is a structured therapy approach that combines both psychoeducation about trauma and the development of coping skills for the impact it has on the person. The goal of CPT is to help clients change their trauma-related beliefs and lessen the emotional impact of their traumatic experiences. The therapist explains how trauma affects the mind and body, both during and after the event. They then use cognitive restructuring to help the client identify, evaluate, challenge, and change rigid, harmful thoughts related to the trauma.

Length of treatment: Typically around 12 sessions.
Who would benefit from CPT for trauma: People who meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis.
Who may not be a good fit for CPT for trauma: People who struggle with accountability and follow-through (for homework assigned between sessions); people who are not ready to confront their traumas/have a high level of avoidance; and sometimes people who struggle with literacy/writing (if the therapist uses written assignments for homework).

5. Trauma-Focused CBT (TF-CBT)

Trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT) is another type of CBT designed specifically for addressing trauma in children and adolescents. However, this approach has since been expanded to include adults and families. TF-CBT focuses on educating clients about trauma and teaches them relaxation and coping skills to manage symptoms. Clients share and process their trauma story, helping them integrate it into their life history. TF-CBT can be offered both individually or in groups and is facilitated by therapists who take a trauma-informed approach.

Length of treatment: Typically around 12-25 sessions.
Who would benefit from TF-CBT: Children and adolescents who are encountering significant emotional dysregulation problems related to PTSD, depression, behavioral problems, or anxiety.
Who may not be a good fit for TF-CBT: Children of adolescents who are experiencing active suicidal ideation, psychosis, or self-harm behaviors.

6. Somatic Therapy

Somatic therapy focuses on the connection between the mind and body. Unlike traditional talk therapy, which primarily engages the cognitive processes, somatic therapy acknowledges that traumatic memories are stored in the body, often manifesting as physical tension, pain, or other somatic symptoms. In somatic therapy, clients are guided to become more aware of their bodily sensations and how these might be linked to past traumatic experiences. Using techniques like breathwork, meditation, and guided imagery, clients learn to release the trauma from their bodies.

Length of treatment: Typically around 8-20 sessions, although it ranges widely.
Who would benefit from somatic therapy: People who have tried more “cognitive” approaches to trauma therapy and feel stuck/plateaued in their healing process.
Who may not be a good fit for somatic therapy: People who tend to disconnect from their body may benefit from starting with more cognitive approaches first.

7. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

DBT for trauma teaches clients a set of skills to manage the debilitating symptoms they developed. DBT focuses on four main areas: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. Mindfulness helps clients stay present, reducing the impact of traumatic memories. Distress tolerance provides skills to handle trauma triggers without self-destructive behaviors. Emotion regulation teaches clients to understand and control intense emotions. Interpersonal effectiveness improves communication and boundary-setting, which can be affected by trauma. By learning these skills, individuals gain emotional stability, resilience, and better overall mental health. DBT treatment typically consists of both individual and group therapy.

Length of treatment: Typically around 6-12 months.
Who would benefit from DBT: People with high emotional reactivity and low self-regulation, people with active suicidal ideation and self-harm, and people who struggle with insight into why they make the behavior choices they do.
Who may not be a good fit for DBT: People with intellectual disabilities, people with extremely rigid thinking, and people experiencing psychosis.

8. Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)

Internal family systems therapy (IFS) suggests that everyone has a core Self and various Parts that fall into three categories: Exiles, Managers, and Firefighters. Exiles carry the pain of trauma. Managers use defenses to protect against this pain. Firefighters take extreme measures to protect when Exiles’ pain breaks through.

The goal of IFS is to help a person connect with their true Self. This connection lets them understand the protective roles of their Managers and Firefighters and address the pain of their Exiles. The therapist will work with the client to release the pain and trauma their Exiles are holding, allowing them to heal from their traumatic experience.

Length of treatment: There is no set time, and treatment length is tailored to each person’s unique process.
Who would benefit from IFS for trauma: People who have complex childhood trauma, people with negative beliefs about themselves and the world, and people who may be feeling “stuck” in their healing journey.
Who may not be a good fit for IFS for trauma: People who are not ready or willing to confront their trauma.

9. Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET)

Narrative exposure therapy (NET) is a therapeutic approach specifically created for survivors of complex trauma. It begins with a process called the ‘lifeline,’ where the therapist and client map out the client’s life from birth to the present, marking significant events, both positive and negative, on a timeline. Then, they focus on narrating each traumatic event in detail. Narrating their story helps the client to process and integrate these experiences into their life story in a coherent and meaningful way. Through repeated narration, the emotional intensity of these memories diminishes.⁸ NET can be done individually or in small groups.

Length of treatment: Typically around 8-12 sessions.
Who would benefit from NET: People struggling with Complex PTSD (C-PTSD), depression, or anxiety from trauma can benefit from processing their experience in narrative form.
Who may not be a good fit for NET: People who experience emotional flooding when working with their trauma memories, people who are not ready to confront their trauma, people with intellectual disabilities, or people who struggle with cognitive processing.

10. Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy (KAP) combines psychotherapy with the pharmaceutical drug ketamine. It helps a person access and process traumatic memories by inducing a state of altered consciousness, making it easier to explore painful experiences without the intense emotional distress typically associated with them. It is most often used to treat depression, although recent research has shown promise for trauma.⁹

KAP involves a structured process starting with preparation, where the therapist and client discuss the client’s history and set therapeutic goals. During the ketamine session, the client receives a low dose of ketamine while the therapist provides support and guidance as the client explores their inner experiences. After the session, the integration phase involves discussing and reflecting on the experience, helping the client make sense of any insights that emerge.

Length of treatment: Typically 2-4 preparation sessions, 3-6 ketamine sessions, and 1-2 integration sessions.
Who would benefit from KAP: People who have plateaued or feel “stuck” after trying other modalities.
Who may not be a good fit for KAP: People with a personal or familial history of psychosis disorders, people with a history of substance misuse/abuse disorders, and people with certain underlying heart and respiratory conditions.

11. Comprehensive Resource Model (CRM)

Comprehensive resource model (CRM) integrates neurobiological, somatic, and psychological methods for holistic healing. It starts with the therapist using guided imagery and breathwork to help clients connect with a supportive “sacred place,” like a spiritual being, animal, or force of nature. Once this connection is established, trauma work can begin.

Clients are encouraged to share the aspects of their pain related to the traumatic event. They observe their physical and emotional reactions with curiosity and without judgment. The supportive resources help clients delve into their trauma, fully experience, process, and release it while discovering new, healing truths. This approach fosters deep healing and empowers clients to overcome their trauma.

Length of treatment: There is no set time, and treatment length is tailored to each person’s unique process.
Who would benefit from CRM: People who are looking for a more holistic approach to trauma healing and people who are purpose/meaning driven.
Who may not be a good fit for CRM: People who struggle with abstract thinking and conceptualization, people with spiritual/religious trauma who may not find this framework helpful, and people who are not ready to confront their trauma.

12. Brief Eclectic Therapy (BET)

Brief eclectic therapy (BET) combines aspects of CBT with psychodynamic therapy to create a short-term, structured intervention that effectively treats trauma. A BET therapist will teach the client about the nature of trauma and its effects on the mind and body. They then incorporate cognitive-behavioral techniques to help the person identify and reframe negative thoughts associated with their traumatic experiences. Additionally, BET involves writing assignments and exposure therapy, allowing the client to confront and process their trauma in a safe environment. They may be asked to bring in items that remind them of the event to help them better recall it when prompted. The final sessions focus on how the trauma has affected a client and what they learned from it.¹⁰

Length of treatment: Typically around 16 sessions.
Who would benefit from BET: People who are looking for a more experiential approach to healing trauma instead of solely traditional talk-based therapy.
Who may not be a good fit for BET: Clients who struggle with writing and articulation, clients with a tendency for low compliance with homework assignments, and people who are not ready to confront their trauma.

13. Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART)

Accelerated resolution therapy (ART) is a relatively new evidence-based approach to trauma treatment, and it works by combining eye movement desensitization processing, cognitive processing, and psychodynamic approaches. During a session, the therapist will have their client visualize the traumatic event while they visually track movement from one side to the other – this is often the therapist’s hand. The therapist will then have the client imagine what they wish would have happened instead. The bilateral stimulation throughout this process can help the brain recategorize and store the traumatic memory differently.

Length of treatment: Typically around 1-5 sessions.
Who would benefit from ART: People who are looking for relief quickly, and people with multiple traumas they are needing to process.
Who may not be a good fit for ART: People who struggle with emotional flooding, people who are not ready to confront their trauma and tolerate the distress that can come with this in the short term.

14. Polyvagal Therapy

Polyvagal therapy educates clients about the functioning of their nervous system and helps them understand how it responds to trauma. This approach focuses on the polyvagal theory, which explains how the vagus nerve influences emotional regulation and stress responses. Clients learn to recognize their body’s reactions to the initial trauma and how these reactions appear in present-day situations when they encounter trauma triggers. The therapist helps clients identify when they are in states of hyperarousal (fight or flight) or hypoarousal (freeze) and teaches them coping skills to shift toward a state of safety.

Length of treatment: There is no set time, and treatment length is tailored to each person’s unique process.
Who would benefit from polyvagal therapy: People who are disconnected from their body but enjoy understanding the process of what is happening internally.
Who may not be a good fit for polyvagal therapy: People who experience high levels of dissociation and avoidance, people who struggle with insight, and people who are not ready to confront their trauma.

Additional Approaches to Trauma Treatment

Depending on a person’s needs, some trauma therapists might incorporate additional therapeutic or psychiatric approaches into their treatment. These methods aim to provide different ways to access and express trauma memories. This can include therapeutic techniques like art therapy, mindfulness practices, or inner child work. Support groups and family therapy can also be beneficial, offering a sense of community and helping to strengthen relationships as you work through your healing process. In some cases, medication might be recommended to help manage symptoms.

Here are some additional approaches to treating trauma:

Group Therapy & Peer Support Groups

Talking with other trauma survivors can reduce a person’s sense of isolation and provide support. Trauma-related group therapy, led by a licensed therapist, includes sessions on understanding trauma, learning how to manage distress, and supporting each other. Support groups, on the other hand, are not led by a therapist and are more informal. They allow people to share their trauma experiences and receive support and validation from peers.

Family Therapy

If trauma happens within a person’s family, family therapy can help everyone understand what happened and agree on how to move forward. While this can be helpful for the whole family to heal, there are certain times when family therapy is not appropriate – these can include instances of abuse or if there is a family member with a serious mental health condition that prevents them from fully participating in therapy healing (such as narcissistic personality disorder or schizophrenia).

Inner Child Work

When trauma occurs in childhood, a person continues to carry the wounded parts of their childhood with them into adulthood. This often leads to unhealthy beliefs and behaviors that cause ongoing distress and relationship issues. Inner child work helps by identifying, understanding, and addressing the needs of one’s inner child. By healing their inner child, a person can stop replaying unhealthy patterns in adulthood.

Trauma-Informed Yoga

Trauma-informed yoga focuses on helping a person to stay present in their body and with their emotions instead of dissociating by using yoga movements. Dissociation and disconnection from the body are powerful protective measures that the nervous system may choose to cope with trauma. Still, this same coping mechanism also acts to prevent healing from occurring. Trauma-informed yoga can help a person reconnect with their body and build confidence in their ability to emotionally regulate.

Medication

Sometimes, a person has such intense reactions or so many traumas that they may need to consider medications for PTSD in addition to psychotherapy. The purpose of medications is to help a person stay engaged with their therapy treatment and to help build their confidence in skills and regulation by making the process more manageable. After therapy treatment has concluded, some individuals may need to continue or change medications, while other people may no longer need medication.

Art & Music Therapy

Art therapy and music therapy utilize a person’s creativity to access and express their feelings, thoughts, and needs. Engaging in art and music is considered to be inherently healing, and can provide clients with comfort as they develop a connection with their therapist. These approaches can be particularly helpful with non-verbal clients or those for whom identifying and expressing feelings is difficult.

Hypnotherapy

Hypnotherapy for PTSD works by helping a person to engage more deeply with their subconscious through a variety of techniques, and then the hypnotherapist can help the person resolve traumatic memories by reprogramming their responses. Hypnotherapy is often used alongside other therapeutic approaches as a supplemental aid in healing, and it is often not enough to heal trauma on its own without incorporating other forms of healing work.

Play Therapy

Play therapy is an approach often used with children and adolescents but may also be offered in certain situations for adults. It can help a person process trauma in a non-intimidating way by incorporating toys, art supplies, puppets, or other positive activities. Play provides an opportunity for the therapist to better understand the client’s inner world while also giving the client opportunities to express their thoughts, feelings, and problems.

8 Free Worksheets for Trauma Healing

This collection of worksheets provides practical tools and strategies for managing trauma symptoms.

 

 

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How to Know Which Type of Trauma Therapy Is Right for You

The type of trauma therapy that works best for each person is based on individual factors and preferences. You will likely need to try multiple modalities before you determine which kind of therapy works best for you. When narrowing down therapeutic modalities, start with ones that you feel align with your comfort level and resonate with how you’d like to approach your healing work.

The most important thing to consider in a therapist is whether you feel safe and “click” with your therapist. Trusting your therapist is crucial because this is the foundation from which you will work to establish safety and stability throughout the other parts of your life. A safe therapist will never pressure you into things you aren’t comfortable with, will never belittle or judge you, and will often check in on you throughout the therapeutic work.

How to Find a Trauma-Informed Therapist

To find a trauma-informed therapist, start by searching online directories such as Grow Therapy, which offers detailed filters to help you find therapists who specialize in trauma and accept your insurance. Online therapy services like BetterHelp and Talkspace also provide access to trauma-informed therapists, allowing you to receive care from the comfort of your home. Additionally, you can ask for recommendations from healthcare providers or support groups, ensuring that the therapist you choose has the necessary expertise to support your healing journey.

If you are considering medication, a primary care physician, psychiatrist, or psychiatric nurse practitioner can recommend suitable pharmaceutical options. Online psychiatry services like Brightside Health also provide emergency care for individuals who are experiencing severe PTSD symptoms or suicidal ideation.