5 Myths about Trauma
Myth # 1: Trauma is defined by an experience
As a trauma therapist, it may surprise you that I have a love/hate relationship with the term “trauma.” Trauma is defined by a neurobiological RESPONSE to an overwhelming threat and NOT by a specific event or experience.
In The Guardian article here, Canadian physician and trauma expert, Gabor Maté explains , “Trauma, from the Greek word for ‘wound’, is not what happens to you; it is what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you…it is not the blow on the head, but the concussion I get.”
Trauma treatment has gained popularity in the past couple of decades, which has led to more access to treatment AND a wider range of misconceptions. I’ve lost count of how many clients deny they have experienced trauma because their experience wasn’t “that bad” or “like that.” They often report they’ve just “always been anxious” or “always felt like there’s something wrong.”
These beliefs can often prevent people from getting connected to the most helpful types of treatment and become stuck with providers reviewing skills that will never work if the underlying stress is not explored.
Myth #2: Trauma is a sign of weakness
Trauma can happen to anyone, regardless of their background or personality. It’s not a sign of weakness, but rather a normal response to an abnormal event.
Myth #3: You should just “get over it”
Trauma can have lasting effects on your mental and physical health. In fact, the mind is part of the body, so the mind and body cannot be separated. We use the same language to refer to physical injuries, however, socially our response to a broken arm, for example, is quite different than to a significant loss or period of intense stress.
You’d likely be rushed to an orthopedic specialist for a broken arm and it’s time we take treatment of less physical injuries as seriously. Trauma treatment can help address physical pain and injuries in addition to emotional pain and experiences. For example, if you strain your back while painting your living room, beliefs such as “I’m getting so old” or “I will never be able to run again” will intensify your experience of the strain.
Myth #4: Processing it makes it worse
People who have been in treatment with traditional talk therapists or unskilled providers often believe that trauma treatment can make the experience worse.
EMDR treatment relies on your body to provide a map of what needs to be processed, which means it’s not always necessary to find words to describe your past. In fact, sometimes we can get in the way of our own treatment by verbalizing and intellectualizing our experiences.
I think of processing like cleaning out a “junk” closet. You might walk by the closet everyday, only opening it to put another item in. Until one day, the door won’t close all the way, begging to be organized.
If you’ve ever organized a closet, you know you must first make a mess by pulling all of the items out and sorting into donate, toss, and keep piles before neatly putting the keep pile back into the closet in rainbow color-coded bins.
Myth # 5: Therapy is only for people who are mentally ill
Therapy can be beneficial to anyone who has experienced trauma or intense stress, regardless of the severity of their symptoms. As a trauma therapist, It’s not often that I receive an inquiry for “trauma treatment.” I typically hear people who want to address their symptoms; anxiety, panic, difficulty relaxing, disengagement/disinterest in life, overstimulation, and focus/obsession on other people, to name a few.
In my opinion, it’s a set up to be in long-term weekly therapy if you approach each of these symptoms as separate. Trauma treatment approaches these symptoms as a survival response to intense stress. When you treat the stress, the symptoms naturally decrease as a result.
