Why Choose an Evidence Based Trauma Treatment?
What Are Evidence-Based Trauma Treatments?
Trauma can leave deep, lasting imprints on our lives, affecting our mental, emotional, and physical well-being. Navigating the path to recovery can be daunting, especially with the myriad of treatment options available. One crucial factor to consider in this journey is the use of evidence-based trauma treatments. But what exactly does "evidence-based" mean, and why should you choose such treatments for trauma?
Evidence-based treatments are therapies that have been scientifically tested and proven effective through rigorous research and clinical trials. These treatments are backed by data showing their efficacy in helping individuals recover from trauma. The focus is on methods that consistently yield positive outcomes across diverse populations and settings. Examples of evidence-based treatments for trauma include Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
The Importance of Scientific Validation
Choosing an evidence-based treatment means relying on methods that have undergone extensive scrutiny and validation. This scientific backing ensures that the therapy is not just theoretically sound but practically effective. Here are several reasons why this validation is crucial:
Proven Effectiveness: Evidence-based treatments have been shown to work for a wide range of individuals. Studies demonstrate that these therapies can significantly reduce symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, depression, and other trauma-related conditions.
Consistency and Reliability: Therapies that are evidence-based provide consistent results. This means you are more likely to experience improvement, as the treatment protocols are standardized and based on proven principles.
Professional Endorsement: Major health organizations and mental health professionals endorse evidence-based treatments. This endorsement is a testament to their reliability and effectiveness in treating trauma.
Understanding How Evidence-Based Treatments Work
Evidence-based trauma treatments are designed to address the specific ways in which trauma affects the mind and body. Every evidence-based treatment has two components: an exposure-based component and a cognitive restructuring component. Depending on the treatment one of those is more the focus than the other. Let’s look at how some of these treatments work:
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
CPT is a type of cognitive-behavioral therapy specifically designed for trauma. It helps individuals challenge and modify unhelpful beliefs related to trauma. CPT works by:
Restructuring Thoughts: What happened will always be what happened. What you say to yourself about what happened, that’s where we start to take a closer look. Your brain tries to do the best it can to make sense of something that doesn’t make sense and in doing that there can be some pretty important pieces that get overlooked or not included. CPT helps to broaden the lens you see trauma through to make sure all of the important parts are being incorporated.
Developing Understanding: CPT does not look for a “positive” outcome or a glass-half full take-away from trauma. Trauma is bad, it will always be bad, however how you understand trauma can radically change how you see yourself, other people and the world.
Prolonged Exposure (PE)
Prolonged Exposure is another form of cognitive-behavioral therapy specifically designed to help individuals confront and process trauma-related memories and situations. Here's how PE can benefit those with trauma:
Revisiting Trauma: PE involves repeatedly revisiting the traumatic memory in a safe, therapeutic setting to reduce its emotional power over time. Revisiting helps for many different reasons. First it helps to take the emotional intensity out of the memory. If you watched a scary movie 6 times in a row, you wouldn’t jump at the same place each time. In fact, by the fourth time you were watching the movie you might be bored or disinterested. That is exactly what revisiting helps to accomplish. Revisiting also helps to organize the memory. As I talked about in How PTSD gets in the way of Recovery, trauma tends to get logged away in the brain in a disorganized fashion. Revisiting the memory helps to organize the memory so your prefrontal cortex can begin to analyze and make sense of the memory. Finally, we know that avoidance plays a big part in PTSD. Sometimes people have thoughts like “I won’t be able to do it” or “if I start thinking about it it will get worse.” Revisiting the memory provides an opportunity to experience the exact opposite, it builds confidence and competence. You can do hard things and it would be such a trick of your brain to make you think that thinking about the memory is worse than the experience of trauma!
In Vivo Exposure: This technique gradually exposes you to trauma-related stimuli or situations that you have been avoiding, helping to decrease fear and avoidance behaviors. Trauma tends to make the world people live in very small. You might notice you’ve stopped doing things that you previously enjoyed (ex. going to restaurants, going to the park with your kids, going to concerts, looking yourself in the eye, or driving). PE helps you to re-engage in those activities that are important to you.
Processing: Through repeated exposure, PE helps your brain process and integrate traumatic memories, reducing their ability to cause distress and enabling you to regain a sense of control.
The Benefits of Choosing Evidence-Based Treatments
Opting for evidence-based trauma treatments offers numerous benefits that can significantly enhance your recovery journey:
Targeted Approach: These treatments are tailored to address the specific ways trauma affects your mind and body. They focus on reducing symptoms and improving overall functioning.
Holistic Healing: Evidence-based treatments often incorporate various therapeutic elements, addressing not just the psychological but also the emotional and physical aspects of trauma.
Empowerment and Control: By learning effective coping strategies and skills, you gain a sense of empowerment and control over your recovery process. This can lead to improved self-esteem and a more positive outlook on life.
Support and Structure: These treatments provide a structured framework for healing, offering clear goals and measurable progress. This structure can be particularly beneficial for individuals who feel overwhelmed by the chaos of trauma.
Community and Validation: Knowing that you are receiving a treatment endorsed by professionals and backed by scientific research can provide a sense of community and validation. You are not alone in your journey, and many others have successfully walked this path before you.
Time Limited: We know from the literature that long term trauma treatment is not effective and can ultimately collude with avoidance. Each empirically supported treatment is designed to be an episode of care where you gain the skills to use and then live your life.
Making an Informed Decision
Choosing an evidence-based trauma treatment is a decision that prioritizes your well-being and recovery. It ensures that you are receiving care that is not only compassionate but also effective. While the journey to healing from trauma can be challenging, evidence-based treatments offer a reliable and proven path forward.
