Types of Therapy for Trauma

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy:

A talk-therapy focused on current distressors and how thought patterns contribute to your emotions and behaviors. During CBT, you will analyze your thoughts and use problem-solving skills to overcome the negative perceptions that lead to the destructive thoughts. It is built on the belief that mental illness can be partially attributed to or exacerbated by negative perceptions. 

Cognitive Processing Therapy:

A talk-therapy that is very similar to CBT with one major difference. In CPT, you focus on negative beliefs and perceptions that are related to trauma or PTSD.

Eye-movement Desensitization and Reprocessing:

A therapy based on the belief that traumatic memories have been left unprocessed by the brain and our trauma symptoms are a result of this unintegrated trauma. EMDR theorizes that the brain needs both hemispheres to work together to process the trauma, but that the memory gets “stuck” in the right side of the brain. Bilateral stimulation, or the interchanging stimulation of the right and left hemispheres of the brain, such as back and forth eye-movements, are believed to help integrate the memories. During therapy, you will reprocess your trauma with a therapist while simultaneously engaging in bilateral stimulation.

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy:

A type of talk-therapy specifically to address those who experience emotions strongly or may suffer with emotional regulation issues. It is focused around building skills in areas like radical acceptance, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and mindfulness to make dealing with distressing situations easier and to improve interpersonal relationships.

Exposure Therapy:

A type of therapy in which a therapist creates a safe environment where they prepare you for and expose you to feared stimuli.

Rapid Resolution Therapy:

A relatively new type of therapy based on the belief that the unconscious mind solicits continued emotional responses to trauma by repeating the same neural pathway. The therapist helps you build a new neural pathway through metaphors, imagery, and storytelling.