How Is Trauma Processed?

[watundah]

I am not sure that I have a clear understanding of what it means to "process" trauma.

There is acknowledgement that something happened.

Coming to terms with how it has impacted you.

Perhaps sharing the story makes it less impactful by releasing the burden.

Maybe support from a therapist lessens the pain/shame. And you deal with the symptoms, learn coping skills.

This is where I get lost. Yes, memories never fully go away. I am dealing with "unprocessed" trauma. How do we fold it up in a neat little package and tuck it away?

 

[Gs172003]

I am not sure that I have a clear understanding of what it means to "process" trauma.

There is acknow...

My assumption is that you no longer react to it

 

[Bloomy]

Really like your expression foldit up in a neat little package and tuck it away :D

You are not lost - you are right on track. Atleast as far as how I percieve process the trauma.

Memories never fully go away. Memories is so much. Its about smells, sounds, sights, visual memories and so forth.

Think what has been dificult for me before is the smells. I mean I could walk peaceful in nature in spring time and then the smell of the snow melting and the mud its creates like mold just blew me. Same with perfumes. I can deal so much better now with this. Maybe not the perfume by the way if its strong enough or nasty enough or so.

So how do we process? Look forward to more answers on this, but to me its what youve written, its time and its a recver of the after math ( consequence of the trauma.

Good thread this one.

 

[SeanCharles]

Yes, the memories never fully go away. I am dealing with "unprocessed" trauma. How do we fold it up in a neat little package and tuck it away?

One way to process this unprocessed trauma is to write about it, for example you could share this trauma with someone or write about the event that caused this trauma in a diary whether that be a notebook or perhaps a trauma diary here. Things to look at is how did you feel, what are your thoughts at the time and maybe how you feel now that the trauma is over? <--I am hoping this is correct as I don't have enough information.

How do we fold it up in a neat little package and tuck it away?

Sadly, you don't really package and tuck that away. If you do, it's like burying that trauma which is what makes that unprocessed. The process of trauma processing does take time. Exposing yourself to the trauma (Exposure Therapy) which is part of the process of this forum does take work and through that work it the emotional aspect becomes less.

 

[Gs172003]

One way to process this unprocessed trauma is to write about it, for example you could share this t...

Gaaaawd I hate exposure therapy. But I hear it's necessary

 

[SeanCharles]

@Zoogal Yeah, I've heard it's tough. This forum is where I first learned of that therapy. I know a therapist which specializes in this therapy. With what I have up in the air about my medical, I am waiting before I consider therapy outside this forum. For now I use the forum which sometimes necessatates taking a periodic break for measuring where I am in the healing. When the buffet plate becomes full, I return.

Lately though I am finding that I am dealing with some childhood trauma processing now.

 

[watundah]

I have uncovered forgotten memories.
I have written about them and talked about them.
But that hasn't taken away their power.
And I still react sideways to a lot of things.
I know there is somatic work to do and so on. But once you have written, read it out loud and talked about it, but it's still there...do you keep saying it over and over until it loses its power? I am questioning the value and how to move forward.

 

[WillyKat]

The theory behind it is that traumatic memories aren't integrated with normal memories until they are processed through therapy, writing, and so on. When traumatic memories aren't integrated with the normal ones, they remain in active memory and the fear and dissociation are easily triggered. The traumatic memories themselves remain fragmentary and lack context and because they remain in active memory have a tendency to seem like they're happening all over again when you're triggered.

Processing them, putting them into the same kind of categories as regular memories defuses the intensity and gives them a historical context. You aren't triggered so easily and subtle reminders of the trauma make you think of something that happened in the past, but are less likely to seem like right here right now.

Or you can think of it spatially too. Things that typically trigger you aren't surrounding your head and face but seem farther away, more manageable, etc.

 

[WillyKat]

They still have power for a while. That's sort of normal. Processing takes time and doesn't always proceed without some setbacks. Mindfulness and grounding and visualization help just as much. Like I just mentioned, being able to step away or above or back from things spatially helps. When we have a lot of anxiety, we often have a visual or even a touch sensation that were enveloped, drowning, that there's a gas that surrounds our head and face. So being able to reach the surface and visualize shitty things as boulders we can step around or as floating in a steam below us defuses their intensity.

 

[watundah]

>>Siggghhh<<...this is all rather abstract and difficult to break down for me.

I have also been doing inner child work and parts work and while the focus seems to be making them feel better, I am not, and in some cases feel worse.

 

[Gs172003]

I have uncovered forgotten memories.
I have written about them and talked about them.
But that hasn't...

That's what my therapist said. She says you keep exposing yourself until it is normal.

 

[LadyZane]

The theory behind it is that traumatic memories aren't integrated with normal memories until they are...

This is really helpful. I've been wondering how the heck this is supposed to work a lot lately myself.