Navigating the path to emotional trauma recovery

If you’ve ever experienced something troubling or painful, you know that it can have a lingering effect on your mental health. Community violence, the unexpected loss of a loved one, and physical or sexual assault are just a few examples of traumatic events that can impact your sense of safety and security. 

Fortunately, knowing how to recover from emotional trauma can help you better cope with this traumatic event and focus on your future. 

Understanding the emotional trauma recovery process

Emotional trauma is a psychological response to witnessing or experiencing something distressing. It can stem from one-time events, such as an accident or natural disaster, or ongoing exposure to situations like domestic violence and childhood abuse or neglect. 

Living with emotional trauma can impact people both physically and psychologically. In the days and weeks following the event, you may experience changes in appetite, trouble sleeping, social withdrawal, hypervigilance, and trauma fatigue. It’s also normal to feel a range of emotions, including anger, sadness, guilt, and shame. In other situations, emotional trauma can actually cause some people to become emotionally numb and detached. 

Your trauma response depends on multiple factors, including your personality, coping skills, the type of traumatic experience, and influences like your cultural background or family of origin. Trauma symptoms typically last anywhere from a few days to a few months following the traumatic event and can sometimes last years when left untreated. There’s no set timeline for healing, but your symptoms may be improving when you begin to feel more confident, connected with your body, and comfortable speaking about your feelings and experiences. 

Recovering from emotional trauma isn’t always linear. You might think you’ve moved on but find yourself completely overwhelmed by a certain sound, smell, person, or place that reminds you of a traumatic experience. Trauma triggers can be scary and intrusive, but learning to recognize them can help you manage their effect. 

For some people, emotional trauma will lead to a mental health condition called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You may be more likely to develop PTSD if you have limited social support, a family history of mental illness, substance use, or have depression or anxiety. While there’s no “cure” for PTSD, therapy can provide people with the skills to reduce their symptoms and manage their triggers.

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What you can do to overcome emotional trauma

Overcoming emotional trauma isn’t always a straightforward process. What works for one person may not benefit someone else. That said, the following six strategies can help you start to move past your trauma and heal, one day at a time. 

1. Acknowledge your experience

One of the first steps in any healing journey is to acknowledge what happened. It’s understandable to want to avoid thinking about traumatic memories, but recognizing your experience and feelings can actually help you heal and move forward. If you don’t feel comfortable talking about it, consider more creative ways to express your thoughts — like with journaling or through art and music. 

2. Recognize your trauma triggers

Trauma triggers can cause symptoms like nightmares, flashbacks, irritability, and sleep issues — so learning to recognize your triggers is an important part of the healing process. A trauma trigger is anything that reminds you of a traumatic experience. It might be a certain smell, a specific place, or the anniversary of the traumatic event. 

Keeping a journal can help you identify patterns and triggers. The next time you experience trauma symptoms, try to remember what happened right before you felt them. Notice where you are, who you were speaking to, and what was being discussed. Knowing these triggers can help you make a plan to take care of yourself and prepare for other situations like it in the future. 

3. Make time for mindfulness exercises

Trauma-informed mindfulness teaches people to remain grounded in the present moment without feeling overwhelmed by traumatic thoughts and memories. The goal is to help you regulate your emotions and regain a sense of safety and control in your life. 

One example is the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding method: Notice five things you see, four you can touch, three you hear, two you smell, and one you taste. This technique can be done sitting or standing, whenever you need a reminder to remain calm. 

4. Create consistency in your life 

Trauma can throw your world off course. So, look for ways to find consistency and control in your routine. You can start by setting small, achievable goals for yourself — such as starting each day with coffee on your porch or calling a friend during your lunch breaks. Creating a regular sleep routine and making time for physical activity can also help improve trauma symptoms. 

5. Use healthy coping mechanisms 

If you’re struggling to heal from the effects of emotional trauma, consider how you’re coping with difficult thoughts and feelings. Healthy coping mechanisms can help you manage symptoms and improve your overall well-being, while unhealthy coping mechanisms may lead to harmful behaviors and unregulated emotions.

If you’re not sure what works for you, consider creating a personal toolkit of activities that help you feel good — for example, baking, hiking, or listening to your favorite music. The next time you feel upset, try one of these activities to help you cope with stress and other uncomfortable emotions.

6. Lean on your support system

It’s normal to want to self-isolate in the aftermath of trauma, but one of the best things you can do is spend time with your support network. Confiding in others, like a close friend or a trauma support group, can actually help people process their emotions and feel less alone.

If you’re not ready to talk about your experience, there are plenty of other ways to benefit from social support. For example, you can take yoga classes with a friend, volunteer with a local charity, or build connections with people who share similar values and interests. 

Healing from emotional trauma with professional help

Living with emotional trauma can affect your self-esteem, relationships, and ability to find joy and meaning. It can also increase your risk of developing additional mental health issues, like depression, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders.

If trauma symptoms are impacting your daily life, you may want to seek professional support. Trauma-informed therapy can provide a safe space to help you process your trauma, understand how it affects your mental and physical health, and develop healthier coping methods moving forward.

Some of the most effective types of therapy for healing emotional trauma include:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy: CBT can help you challenge unhealthy thoughts and behaviors associated with trauma and replace them with more empowering alternatives. 
• Somatic therapy: Somatic therapy encourages people to explore their mind-body connection so they can learn to release painful emotions and memories associated with their traumatic experience.
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing: EMDR uses eye movement, external stimuli such as hand tapping, and talk therapy to help people process traumatic memories and alleviate associated distress.

Find care with Rula

Emotional trauma can affect how you feel about yourself, but it doesn’t have to define you. With access to the right resources and support, you can learn how to cope with distressing memories, increase emotional resilience, and build a future that feels right for you. 

At Rula, we’re committed to delivering a comprehensive behavioral health experience that helps people feel seen and understood so they can get back to feeling their best. 

Rula makes it easier to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who accepts your insurance so you don’t have to choose between affordable care and excellent care. With a diverse network of more than 15,000 providers, 24/7 crisis support, and appointments available as soon as tomorrow, we’re here to help you make progress — wherever you are on your mental health journey.

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