What Are Some Alternative Treatment Options for Trauma?

Trauma impacts a person in multiple ways. It can affect people physically, emotionally and behaviorally. To heal from trauma, you may consider one of many methods to reclaim your sense of self.

How Trauma Affects People

Trauma affects people in many ways. Physically, trauma can yield any of the following reactions:

• Loss of sleep or interrupted sleep patterns
• Loss of appetite or altered eating patterns
• Dizziness
• Headaches
• Fainting
• Fever
• Increased heart rate or heart palpitations

Aside from these physical responses, trauma can also cause any of the following emotional responses:

• Agitation
• Irritability
• Being sensitive
• Insecurity
• Loss of confidence
• Diminished self-esteem

Finally, trauma can affect a person’s behavior. Survivors of trauma may behave erratically or avoid people and places associated with the event. They may limit their daily activities to control those situations more strongly. Some people become somewhat paranoid while others become numb and disconnected. Others turn to drugs or alcohol to relieve their symptoms.

Alternative Treatments for Trauma

While medication often helps the symptoms associated with trauma, many survivors of trauma feel that prescription medications do not offer a sense of control. These people who are seeking alternative methods of treatment may consider any of the following methods:

• Equine therapy – by bonding with horses, survivors of trauma can develop many skills that help them heal. These attributes contribute to the physiological and psychological benefits of this treatment
• Talk or discussion therapy – During these sessions, patents learn to open their minds and accept the fact that what affects the mind most likely affects the body. The therapist can also provide a variety of techniques to interpret and counter thoughts that generate negative emotion and energy.
• Far infrared (1072nm) light stimulation therapy – this therapy has been used with dementia for quite some time. It uses infrared light to monitor blood flow to the brain while watching a movie or listening to music. The low power light can improve cognitive ability in about four weeks of use, ten minutes per day, by stimulating brain cells to repair themselves (University of Sunderland Press Release, 2008).
• Acupuncture – with this therapy thin needles are inserted into the body to regulate the flow of energy. Acupuncture corrects imbalances in the flow of qi by stimulating pressure points.
• Quantitative electroencephalography biofeedback – this therapy has derived from the machine used to monitor electrical brainwaves. A person experiences auditory or visual stimulation to retrain the brain via the monitoring of electrical impulses.
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) teaches four modules that help patients stay in the present moment and operate from a place of balance and acceptance.
• Rapid eye movement desensitization unplugs the trauma and allows you to explore solutions more clearly.

Help for Trauma

You don’t have to handle your trauma alone; we are here to help. If you want to seek therapy for your trauma, but need more information to make your decision, call our toll-free helpline today. We are available 24 hours a day to answer any questions you might have about treatment options.