Trauma

After experiencing a traumatic event, many people have difficulty coping with the stress and develop intense and long-lasting symptoms. If you need support and solutions to heal from the trauma, Lydia Kimeli-Pope, MSN-PMHNP, at Intuitive Mind Behavioral Health in New Braunfels, Texas, can help. She offers trauma-focused treatments, including medication to ease symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and therapies that help you confront and cope with the trauma. If you’re ready to restore your quality of life, call Intuitive Mind Behavioral Health today or use the online booking tool to schedule an appointment.

What is trauma?

Trauma refers to a life event that causes mental and emotional distress. Trauma often occurs after you experience or witness a frightening or dangerous event, such as:

• Sexual assault
• Physical abuse
• Childhood neglect
• Military duty
• Gun violence
• Domestic violence
• Car crashes and other accidents
• Robbery or household invasion
• Natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, earthquakes)

You can also become traumatized after suffering through long-term exposure to verbal and emotional abuse.

What mental health disorders does trauma cause?

Experiencing a traumatic event may lead to two mental health disorders:

Acute stress disorder

It’s natural to feel anxious or have a hard time sleeping after a traumatic event. But some people experience more severe symptoms.

Acute stress disorder occurs when you have symptoms such as:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Stress
• Nightmares
• Flashbacks
• Anger
• Insomnia
• Getting startled easily
• Avoiding places and people that remind you of the trauma

This trauma-related disorder improves within a month, but during that time, many people need treatment at Intuitive Mind Behavioral Health. Your provider offers a range of therapies that help you manage intense post-trauma symptoms.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

You have PTSD when the symptoms listed above last longer than one month. In many cases, your symptoms intensify. You may also find that strong emotions and behaviors suddenly flare up when you come across something that reminds you of the traumatic event.

How is trauma treated?

Your Intuitive Mind Behavioral Health provider creates an integrative treatment plan based on your symptoms, targeting your trauma, PTSD, and other mental health challenges caused by trauma, such as depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

Your provider may prescribe antidepressant medications. Even if you don’t need help for depression, these medications are recommended for easing PTSD symptoms.

Numerous therapies are proven to help people needing to deal with trauma and overcome their symptoms. A few examples include:

• Trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT)
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
• Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT)
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• Attachment-based therapy
• Trauma-focused therapy
• Stress management
• Meditation

Each therapy uses a different approach to dealing with your trauma. Your provider works with you to determine the one that fits your needs.

If you struggle with trauma, don’t wait to schedule an appointment at Intuitive Mind Behavioral Health. Use the online booking feature or call the office today.