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Trauma Disorder Treatment in Deerfield Beach, FL

Trauma can influence nearly every aspect of your life, often long after a difficult or frightening event has passed. You don’t need a specific diagnosis to know that something doesn’t feel right, or to deserve support. For some people, the effects of trauma develop into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), while many others carry the weight of what happened without ever meeting that definition. Either way, the trauma is real, and finding help early is an important part of recovery.

What Happens After Trauma?

When most people experience something frightening or upsetting, fight-or-flight responses kick in within moments, triggering the body’s mechanisms for quick action in an emergency. A wide range of emotions is normal after an alarming event, and for most people, those feelings begin to fade with time. For others, the responses linger for months or even years, showing up as anxiety, sleep problems, irritability, or a sense of being constantly on guard.

When those responses don’t fade, they may meet the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which can follow traumatic circumstances like military service or assault. Not everyone affected by trauma develops PTSD, and you don’t need that label to benefit from treatment. Still, it helps to understand what clinicians look for, since they identify PTSD using structured criteria such as:

  • At least one instance of reexperiencing trauma (e.g., flashbacks)
  • At least one act of avoidance
  • At least two instances of arousal (heightened stress and awareness) and reactivity (feeling stressed, angry, and jumpy or easily startled)
  • At least two identifiable instances of negative thoughts about oneself, guilt or blame

About 5% of U.S. adults have PTSD in any given year, and an estimated 6% will experience it at some point in their lives, according to the National Center for PTSD. Many more carry the effects of trauma without ever meeting the criteria for PTSD. Either way, the support you get matters, and that’s where trauma-informed care comes in.

Who Needs Therapy for Trauma?

People who notice a prolonged response to trauma can often benefit from working with a therapist, whether or not their symptoms ever rise to a formal PTSD diagnosis.

It’s worth noting that the effects of trauma don’t always arise in the first weeks or months following an event. Instead, they can appear well after witnessing or experiencing something difficult.

This can be even more pronounced for military members, who often develop symptoms after they return home. The challenges of returning from deployment can make it difficult to assimilate back into normal life. Feeling fine right after an incident doesn’t mean trauma won’t surface later, or that treatment won’t help if it does.

Therapy may also help right after a traumatic incident, before deeper symptoms take hold. With early PTSD treatment when it’s warranted, it may be possible to prevent symptoms from developing or ease those that do.

What Is Trauma-Informed Care in Mental Health?

Trauma-informed care is tailored to the individual and recognizes how traumatic experiences affect the brain. When someone experiences trauma, it can have a lasting effect on their body and even cause changes to the brain that leave a person in a state of heightened alertness, even once the danger has passed.

Trauma-informed approaches to care take this issue into account, aiming to treat the person and consider how their life experiences impact their well-being, rather than simply focusing on “what’s wrong with them.”

Core Principles: Safety, Trust, Empowerment, Collaboration

For a trauma-informed therapy approach to work, it must be grounded in four key principles:

  • Safety. Survivors must feel safe on both a physical and emotional level.
  • Trust. The survivor must feel trust in the process and also be able to trust the therapists they work with.
  • Empowerment. During trauma-informed care, therapists help patients feel involved in the decision-making process.
  • Collaboration. Any treatment should be a collaborative process with the therapist and survivor working together to improve the survivor’s well-being.

How Trauma-Informed Approaches Differ from Traditional Care

Traditional therapy focuses on treating the symptoms, while trauma-informed care looks at the person and aims to understand why they might be experiencing the issues they are.

One key difference with trauma-informed care is that the therapist operates on the assumption that trauma symptoms are present. This differs from traditional care, where a therapist would wait for the patient to discuss trauma themselves. This assumption informs each stage of the process. Therapists approach their sessions in a way that reduces the risk of patients feeling traumatized again or encountering triggers.

A trauma-informed therapist will work to make their patients feel safe during their treatment. Therapists take care to understand what a person has been through and to support them. The care team at FHE Health is trained to help people living with PTSD, anxiety, and other mental health challenges understand their feelings and work through the trauma that they’ve experienced.

A trauma-informed approach to therapy helps individuals deal with their distress in the short term and find coping strategies that will enable them to lead a healthy and productive life.

Trauma Treatment at FHE Health in Deerfield Beach

At FHE Health, trauma therapy in South Florida typically starts with an assessment. We’ll discuss your childhood and your current living situation as well as your symptoms, challenges and history of substance use, if applicable. Afterward, we’ll develop a comprehensive treatment plan that targets both your symptoms and the incident itself for a well-rounded healing process.

Residential patients live full-time at our facility until they complete their program. During this time, you’ll stay in a clean, secure campus with three healthy meals a day, on-site medical care and access to a variety of treatment programs, such as family therapy, medication management and EMDR therapy.

Once you’ve completed the residential program, you’ll switch to outpatient treatment. This involves visiting our facility a few times a week for therapy while you resume your daily life. Once you’ve fully completed treatment, you’ll get access to aftercare programs that provide a safe, reliable support system.

Evidence-Based Therapies for Trauma

Treating emotional trauma requires talking. Counseling, in both one-on-one sessions and group therapy, can help people get to what’s causing their pain. Generally, your therapist works to uncover the true cause of your symptoms, which may include the actual traumatic event.

In a safe setting, a therapist works with you to talk about traumatizing events, what they did to you, why you think they happened and what the memory of them in your life today means. Key components of therapy for trauma may include:

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy. In this approach, a person works through a number of therapy sessions where they discuss the event, write it down in detail and examine what feelings it creates. The goal is to figure out a new way to manage those feelings or thoughts surrounding this event. The benefit is that you can start to retrain your brain’s reaction to the trauma.
  • Prolonged Exposure Therapy. Some people benefit from brief exposures to the trauma they are suffering. This is generally true for situations that bring on anxiety. You learn how to breathe through them, slow down your mind and face the recounting of these events in your life.
  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy. During a session, your therapist will guide you to think about a traumatic event while you perform a series of eye movements. Over time, this can ease the painful feelings associated with your trauma and help you look at it more objectively.

Trauma Treatment Through Medical Integration

While most people think psychological trauma therapy is simply talking through events, there’s an important physical connection too. Sometimes, the trauma symptoms a person has are directly related to physical ailments. Some diseases or medications can create sensations of anxiety, fear and the powerful emotional reliving of events in your life. Illegal substances can also create these types of experiences.

For this reason, FHE Health includes medical care and medication management in most treatment programs. This can ease your symptoms and help you focus on recovery while reducing the risk of a medical emergency, such as a stroke or seizure.

What Are the Medication Trauma Treatment Options?

Some people benefit from prescription medications that can help to minimize their negative experiences and thoughts. The only time this is done is when a person’s condition warrants it. Common medications used include:

  • Antidepressants. The most common option includes selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor medications, drugs such as sertraline (Zoloft) and paroxetine (Paxil). These drugs can help with depression and anxiety related to trauma. They can improve concentration and alleviate sleep disturbances.
  • Antianxiety medications. Many people with trauma experience chronic anxiety. Some medications may help minimize its impact for many people. Most of the time, these medications are used for a short period until a person can learn how to control anxiety more effectively.

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FHE’s Neuro-Rehabilitative Approach to Trauma

At FHE Health, we understand that your brain chemistry can influence your behavior just as much as your trauma. That’s why we offer neuro rehabilitation services that help us understand how your brain works, target chemical imbalances and retrain your brain to respond to challenges in healthy, productive ways. Your options may include:

  • Electroencephalography (EEG) brain mapping. We’ll analyze your brain’s electrical activity to see how your trauma is affecting your biological processes.
  • Neurostimulation therapy. A medical professional will administer stimulation therapy in a safe, controlled environment to help your brain repair itself.
  • Neurofeedback training. With personalized neurofeedback, we’ll teach your brain to operate normally again.

During your initial assessment, we’ll decide if our neuro-rehabilitation program is right for you. If you’re a good candidate, you may walk away with a fresh outlook on life.

What Are the Natural Trauma Treatment Options?

You and your therapist can develop treatments outside of counseling and medication to support your recovery. This may include natural solutions designed to help improve your mental health, such as:

  • Lifestyle changes. Improving circumstances, no longer using drugs or alcohol and getting assistance for relationship problems can help you. You may also find that removing some of the triggers that cause traumatic episodes can help.
  • Diet changes. Improving the quality of nutrients in a diet can help some people. This can improve hormone balance and overall health.

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Coping Strategies for Trauma

Living with emotional trauma isn’t easy and takes consistent focus to see improvement. Coping and support strategies can make a significant difference. These include:

  • Sticking to your treatment plan. Once you meet with a therapist and work out a treatment plan, stick with it. It’s the best way to get ongoing support when you’re faced with a bad day or a significant panic attack. You can develop key strategies for managing your health and anxiety.
  • Avoid self-medication. Self-medication can be risky for many people. Using alcohol and drugs to numb your feelings only creates complications and limits your ability to process and cope with your trauma. They can prevent your ability to heal.
  • Find something to enjoy. Work on building good habits. Putting your nervous energy into something that you really like to do can be helpful. You can’t get rid of your trauma, but you can find new ways to improve the quality of your life.
  • Take a break. When you feel overwhelmed and are focused on your anxiety or thoughts, find some way to take a break from what you’re doing. That may mean just going to a different location to work or going for a walk.
  • Connect with people. Staying out of your own head can be a powerful way to manage trauma-focused feelings. Find a local group that includes people who have experienced similar trauma. That may ensure you are getting one-on-one support from people who understand what you’re going through.
  • Consider a trauma treatment center. For some, going to a residential treatment center can be the best path forward. These centers provide a structured environment and intensive, specialized therapies that can help you process your trauma and develop effective coping mechanisms.

Building a Life After Trauma

When you seek trauma treatment, FHE Health teaches you how to make healthy lifestyle changes that will improve your quality of life for decades to come. This may include exercising, journaling, appreciating nature and cooking healthy meals. You’ll also learn about positive coping skills, such as meditation and breathing exercises, that help you face challenges without drugs or alcohol. Reach out to start your road to recovery today.

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FAQs About Trauma Treatment

What exactly is psychological trauma treatment?
Trauma treatment is a very personal approach that uses different therapies to help you deal with the intense effects of a traumatic event. The goal isn’t to make you forget what happened, but to help you rebuild your life and find new ways to cope. It’s not something you should try to do alone; getting help from a professional is key.
How does talking to someone help with trauma?
Talking is one of the most powerful tools for healing. In trauma therapy, a therapist creates a safe space for you to discuss what happened, how it made you feel and why it continues to impact you. This can include specific methods like Cognitive Processing Therapy, where you examine and reframe your thoughts about the trauma, or Prolonged Exposure Therapy, where you learn to manage your anxiety by gradually facing reminders of the event.
Is there a connection between trauma and physical health?
Yes, absolutely. While we often think of trauma as purely psychological, it can have physical effects too. Sometimes, symptoms like anxiety or fear can be caused by underlying medical conditions or even certain medications. That’s why a full medical checkup is so important. It ensures that any physical issues are addressed as part of your overall treatment plan.
Can psychological trauma ever be cured?
There’s no way to take back what happened to you. While counseling and other therapies for trauma can be highly effective and pave the way forward, there is no real cure. Trauma may always impact the way you live and some of your thoughts. However, you can learn to live with it and find ways to manage its impact on your life. By consistently using coping strategies, building good habits and seeking support, you can significantly improve your well-being.
What can I do on my own to manage my trauma?
While professional help is essential, there are things you can do to support your recovery. Sticking to your treatment plan is crucial. It’s also vital to avoid self-medicating with drugs or alcohol, as this can hinder your healing. Try to take breaks when you feel overwhelmed, find enjoyable hobbies and connect with others who understand what you’re going through. Being willing to change and actively participating in your treatment will make all the difference.

Get Trauma Treatment in Deerfield Beach

Whether you’re recovering from an assault, a toxic relationship, an abusive childhood or another challenge that makes it difficult to move forward, you don’t have to face your trauma alone. FHE Health offers customized programs, medical care and evidence-based treatment that uncovers the root of your pain and gives you a fresh outlook on life. Reach out today to learn more about trauma therapy in South Florida, or call us at (833) 596-3502 for immediate help.

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