What Happens After a Trauma Therapy Intensive? The Path to Healing and Recovery
Living with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be incredibly challenging. Dealing with the aftermath of trauma is never easy, and it can be frustrating when you’ve participated in traditional therapy (sometimes for years) and are still suffering from trauma symptoms. The symptoms can prevent you from living your best life, and trauma therapy is often a necessary part of recovery. However, the traditional once-a-week therapy appointments may not be enough for everyone. That's where trauma therapy intensives come in. Aspire Counseling offers one or two-week trauma therapy intensive treatments based on Cognitive Processing Therapy in Lee's Summit, MO. In this blog post, we'll explain what happens after a trauma therapy intensive, so you know what to expect.
The Trauma Therapy Intensive Itself
Trauma therapy intensive programs differ from traditional therapy in that clients receive concentrated 1-2 week treatment, visiting the office twice a day Monday through Friday for 60-minute individual therapy sessions. As a result, they receive a larger “dose” of therapy than they otherwise would. We use Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), an evidence-based therapy for PTSD that helps people to better understand and cope with their experiences. During the intensive, we work to help clients process and reframe the traumatic event(s) that led to their PTSD symptoms.
Common Emotions After Participating
After the therapy-intensive, clients may experience different feelings. Some may feel relieved and hopeful, finally having a label and understanding of what they've been going through. Others may feel overwhelmed and exhausted, still processing the emotions and memories that surfaced during the intensive sessions.
Clients who complete a trauma therapy intensive often feel a sense of empowerment and control over their life that they may not have experienced before. They also gain an increased sense of resilience, and they develop a new perspective on their traumatic experiences. This is because the intensive focuses on helping clients to process and reframe their experiences in a way that reduces the negative impact on their life.
Some people may also feel kind of lost after the trauma therapy intensive ends. If this is you, know that’s ok. You’ve lived with the symptoms of trauma for so long and they’ve taken up so much space in your life that the process of healing feels odd. Other less positive emotions might include feeling grief at the end of the intensives. This new grief means that you’re finally processing a loss that was associated with your trauma and is an important thing to process in continued individual therapy work.
Decrease in PTSD Symptoms
Most clients experience a really significant decrease in symptoms after the first week. Sometimes, it may actually be an increase because things that have long been avoided have been brought to the surface but not fully processed. In those cases, it’s really important that you schedule a second week very quickly afterward. But overall, you’ll likely notice that the specific trauma episode targeted has a much weaker hold on your life.
As your PTSD symptoms decrease, you’ll have more emotional space to create the life you’ve been wanting to live. Fewer flashbacks and less daily anxiety mean you can take risks, go to new places, and try new things. Less negative thoughts about yourself and others leave space to think more realistically about the world around you and what you want to achieve. Fewer nightmares and better sleep lead to better overall well-being.
Follow Up Therapy Work
An important next step after finishing a trauma intensive is for clients to continue with their weekly therapy sessions or find a new therapist if they don’t already have one. At Aspire Counseling, we generally check in with the client’s usual therapist to share progress and answer any questions they may have about your experience with us. Weekly therapy sessions after the intensive treatment often focus on working with self-esteem, relationships, finding meaning in the present moment, and other aspects of their lives that were not the primary focus of the trauma therapy intensive program.
If you don't have a therapist and live in Missouri, we can set them up with one of our Aspire therapists. At this stage in your recovery, clients will be able to make gains faster in weekly therapy by applying the concepts and skills they learned in the intensive.
Trauma Therapy Intensives are Very Effective but Not a Magic Wand
The truth is that nothing can undo what happened to you. Even when you heal from your past trauma, you will still remember what happened to you. It will still impact you. It just takes a back seat. Regardless, it’s likely that some part of you will still be different because you had that traumatic experience. Sometimes, people notice unique strengths they developed as a result. We call that post-traumatic growth. Sometimes, the impact of trauma is that you met a person who played a key role in your recovery. Or, it might be that you’ll always be more cautious than the carefree young person you were before. The point is, you can find healing and you can find meaningful ways forward in your life. Yet, the trauma isn’t fully erased.
Think of the trauma wound as being like a deep physical cut on your skin. When properly cared for, the wound can close and heal. But you may still live with a scar. The scar is actually where your skin is thicker and tougher than it was before the wound. It’s a reminder of the way your body healed itself. And hopefully, the scar will fade just like the trauma will fade into the background of your life.
While intensive therapy treatments can undoubtedly bring a much-needed healing boost, they may not be a magic cure for all trauma-related issues. Clients may still face daily triggers, and they need to have coping mechanisms. Therefore, many clients find that practicing mindfulness and meditation allows them to remain aware of their emotional and physical states and helps to manage the anxiety and other negative emotions associated with PTSD.
Your Road to Trauma Recovery
At Aspire Counseling, we believe that every client’s journey to healing and recovery is unique. If you feel frustrated with your progress in traditional trauma therapy, our trauma therapy intensive program is worth exploring. Remember, trauma therapy intensive treatment can be a game-changer, but the real work starts after the program ends. Find a therapist you feel comfortable with and continue to push forward, prioritizing your well-being and emotional health. With the right support, you can overcome your trauma, grow stronger, and live a full and satisfying life.
The Aspire Counseling Trauma Intensive Can Help You Move Forward
PTSD can be a debilitating condition that can interfere with daily life. If you or a loved one are experiencing symptoms of PTSD, it can be miserable to live with on a day-to-day basis. But this CAN be treated. And, our trauma therapists believe you deserve to feel better faster than standard once-a-week trauma therapy is able to heal. So, Aspire Counseling in Lee's Summit (also with a Columbia, MO location) offers a one-week trauma therapy intensive based on Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) that has been shown to be effective in treating PTSD. Don't let PTSD control your life – reach out for help today.
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Other Trauma Services Offered at Aspire Counseling
In addition to our Trauma Therapy Intensive, Aspire Counseling offers many other therapy services related directly to overcoming trauma. These services include the following:
