How do You Heal Trauma Without Re-traumatizing?
February 10th, 2007 |
A common concern that many people have in therapy is a fear that if they go close to the old feelings they’ve exiled, they’ll get overwhelmed and re-experience the original trauma. It makes sense that anyone who has spent years avoiding vulnerable feelings would be afraid of doing the opposite. Nonetheless, I know there are many creative ways therapists help people to heal trauma successfully, without flooding or overwhelming. I thought it would be interesting to ask others to comment on how they help people to go near the pain without overwhelming or making the trauma worse.
Much of what I do to help heal trauma I learned from Richard Schwartz and the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model he developed. In the IFS model the key to healing trauma without flooding or overwhelming is achieved through helping the client to approach the parts of their own self which carry the extreme feelings while he or she is embodying a state of “Self.” Self is a state of curiosity, calm, compassion, courage, confidence, clarity, creativity, and connection. It’s described by Schwartz as “they eye in the hurricane” and has been demonstrated as accessible by even the most defensive and wounded of us. When we approach the wounded parts of ourselves from Self, the intense feelings harbored inside are modulated in a way in which they don’t overwhelm us. I explain this to clients who need more information about how it works by comparing it to how a parent soothes a child. Imagine a baby crying in a room. A mother who feels anxiety or frustration in response to a crying baby is more likely to intensify the baby’s anxiety and feel overwhelmed herself. But if a mother, in response to hearing her baby cry, feels compassion, and approaches the baby with this energy, the baby will feel it and will relax much sooner than a baby with an anxious parent. This compassionate energy not only affects the child, but it has a way of making us immune to being overwhelmed. Healing trauma works the same way. When we approach the parts of ourselves that have been suffering and wounded in an open, calm, curious, and compassionate manner we will be shielded from the pain and the pain will not overwhelm. Healing this way for the client is like simultaneously being the container and the contained….
There are many variations and techniques within the IFS model which help to prevent overwhelm. I’m interested in hearing from you about what ways you use to avoid overwhelm with your clients, regardless of what model of therapy you use. Please feel free to share.
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3 comments so far
I,too, specialize in trauma work in my practice. I enjoyed your article, and the question. I agree, containment of overwhelming experiences (feelings, thoughts, images, sounds, and body sensations etc) is such a key part of this work. As you indicated, the wounded parts of self are so often needed to be “approached” and “modulated.”
For me, the parts of the client that can provide containment are the ones that the client identifies as being the most capable of doing so. I always want to learn the “role” of each part, its function, before doing the trauma work. I then ask that part permission for it do be part of the “team” that will work on the trauma. Once each part has identified its role, and has voiced its opinion on “doing the work” I can then identify who to “go to” to find the client’s internal resource.
As a result, the client’s system, itself, gives me the message about how to contain what is triggering and overwhelming in that moment. I then ask the part that “knows the most about” the trauma being worked on and the part that knows about comfort, to try to work together. Again, everyone’s system is different, and every internal system of containing is different. Nevertheless, I find that working with each part’s role makes a huge difference, and helps the client find his or her internal resources as well. It also helps me to gain an alliance with the rest of the client’s internal system, by us negotiating how we will work together to process and release the trauma.
Thanks so much for this question. Very thought provoking!
Have you looked at Principles of Trauma Therapy by Briere & Scott? I found this an excellent book. He presents the concept of Therapeutic Window. This idea is that the therapist must work with the client to have some affect present by revisiting the trauma, but not so much that the person is dysregulated; hence the idea of window with a sill to stay over and a top to stay below.
Nice article, thanks.
A chill went up my spine, when the author refered to “Internal Family Systems” While in Graduate School, I joined a “Family Systems Group” led by one of my professors.
Being in Practice and working with prople who suffer from Chronic Mental Illness, I have witnessed the damage “well intentioned” people have in trying to get a person to return to the horror of their trauma! I am a PTSD, sexual assault survivor! That part of me does come out at times with a scent in the air. I found it best to get in the moment using my 5 senses. What I feel, What I see, What I hear what ever to change the chanel in my head and let go of the horror that emerged from my unconsciousness!
I had back surgery last fall. Would it make sense to reopen the wound on my back? No! I need to know my limitations and learn the skills to “Let Go” and re chanel my focus on the now!