In this second of four videos on the topic of emotional regulation for trauma recovery, Dr. Madril is going to answer the following questions:

1. How can I use my surroundings to help me calm down when triggered by a reminder of past trauma?

A troubling consequence of trauma is that certain parts of your emotional brain may have become hypersensitive to threat, which may result in lingering symptoms like feeling as though the trauma is happening all over again or like you are oddly disconnected from yourself and your physical surroundings.

One way to help reprogram the brain to recognize that the trauma is over is to ground yourself in the present moment by redirecting your mind away from the triggering thoughts and emotions and onto physical objects that you can find nearby. Watch the YouTube video to learn more…https://youtu.be/qd3b0U64Kb8?si=msJ1OlukpbUKaOnI

If you would like to learn more about best practices in trauma therapy, feel free to subscribe to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

In this first of four videos on emotional regulation for trauma recovery, Dr. Madril to answer the following question: How can I return to a state of calm when feeling anxious and unsafe?

It is common for people who have experienced trauma to have moments when they feel anxious and unsafe. This could be due to conscious and subconscious processing of fear and potential threats within one’s environment. Whatever the reason, it is helpful to have a practical set of tools on-hand to return the nervous system to a state of calm. A yogic breathing exercise called the Six-Count Breath is one of the techniques that Dr. Madril always recommend to clients who want practical tools to regulate their emotions…https://youtu.be/auJUptSmLrw?si=aWpLyrrEdvCTcdPO

In this video, Dr. Madril will briefly review recent research, which suggests that combining aerobic exercise with exposure-based trauma therapy may enhance treatment outcomes for people with PTSD…https://youtu.be/aHRYSDfXTA8?si=HOZyzxajwoq5KJ5D

In this video, I will be explaining the concept of “parts work” in trauma therapy and how it can enhance treatment outcomes for clients…https://youtu.be/ZkIDaHL3QMY?si=iWOGnivw7DS0bNW9

In this video, Dr. Madril explains the proposed mechanisms of action in EMDR therapy as noted in recent neuroscience research…https://youtu.be/D435lC5flA8?si=5jxwnUP6Yez5n_WM

In this video, Dr. Tony Madril provides a practical definition of Ego States Therapy and discusses how it may enhance EMDR for resolving trauma. Click here to watch the video…

Vicarious trauma and empathic distress are by-products of engaging in work that includes ongoing exposure to distressing images, sights, and sounds and as well as exposure to personal stories of trauma. Research suggests that such repeated vicarious exposure to human suffering places human service professionals at high-risk for experiencing some form of work-related stress. Over time, this type of stress can have deleterious effects upon the well-being of the helper and their ability to deliver quality human services over time. In fact, research suggests that repeated exposure to traumatic material creates a certain vulnerability for developing vicarious trauma or some form of traumatic stress; therefore, it is imperative to the health and well-being of human service teams to have an active awareness of the signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma as well as various practical tools and techniques to help mitigate the emotional burden of regularly working with trauma.

I’ve developed one such tool that I call REAP. REAP is a tool that may be used by helping professionals to identify and release empathic distress while working on the front lines. The acronym REAP stands for Recognize, Establish, Adjust, and Practice and may help professionals to cultivate compassion while delivering services to others in need. I invite you to listen to my YouTube video to learn more…

In this short video, I will discuss the difference between “top-down” and “bottom-up” trauma therapies. See my other videos on my YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKBpNrB5fYklr9zjEIRPCfg

By Tony Madril, LCSW, BCD

Making a conscious choice to assert yourself in a stressful situation may help you to reprocess past psychological trauma and counteract its long-term effects on the body and mind. We know from scientific research that most people automatically respond to traumatic experiences by preparing to fight a potential perpetrator, by fleeing a dangerous situation, or by physically freezing in the moment. If your body reacted to past trauma with some form of freezing, it is possible that you are unusually sensitive to situations that are reminiscent of past traumatic events and that you may respond to minor threats in your daily life by momentarily regressing to a state of immobility, especially if you have not processed your injury with a trauma specialist. For instance, while being confronted by a demanding co-worker, alone, would not qualify as a traumatic event, this minor threat can nevertheless activate the brain’s release of stress hormones in your body if the trauma you experienced involved some sort of intimidation against you. The “post-trauma brain” is wired to notice and quickly respond to situations that appear similar to the traumatic event of the past. This is its primary form of defense, of keeping you safe from further harm.

While it may not have been humanly possible for you to have taken action to escape the traumatic event of your past, it is now possible for you to take action by asserting your needs when faced with situations that threaten your sense of integrity or emotional wellbeing. How? I have written a set of three questions that, in conjunction with therapy, you can ask yourself during moments of distress to help clarify: (1) whether the situation you’re in may be linked to past trauma; (2) how practicing self-assertion may help to counteract the feeling of immobility.

The first question: What am I feeling in my body? By using your concentration to quickly scan the body from head-to-toe like a copy scanner, you can gather important information about how the body is physiologically reacting to your immediate situation. Whereas uncomfortable or unusual body sensations such as a rapid heartbeat, shallow breathing, or a sense that you cannot move (or act as you would like) may suggest that something about your situation may be linked to past trauma, neutral or pleasant body sensations may suggest that you are experiencing an ordinary day-to-day stressor with no particular ties to past critical events.

The second question: Does this situation threaten my sense of safety or cause me fear? Defining what makes you feel unsafe or fearful is something only you can determine. Simply put, if you answer “yes” to this question, it would be important for you to determine a clear course of action to take care of yourself in the moment; answering the next question may help you do this.

The third question: Would asserting myself help restore my sense of safety? If you answer yes, you might consider the choices you have to assert yourself in your moment of distress. Returning to the example of the demanding co-worker, asserting yourself may come in the form of taking any of the following actions: making a request, saying no, resisting pressure from the person, or maintaining a particular position or personal point-of-view. On the other hand, if you notice that you are feeling oddly frozen to act, self-assertiveness may be that you walk away from the situation or simply acknowledge that “feeling frozen is happening” and soothe yourself with kind words of self-compassion such as: “I’ve got you sweetheart” “This is temporary” “Don’t worry, you will have more chances to assert yourself in the future.”

Over time, this ongoing practice of asserting yourself in challenging situations may improve the effects of past trauma by helping you develop new core beliefs about your ability to take care of yourself in the world. Gradually, you may begin to think (and believe): “I can do this!” “I can learn to do whatever it is necessary to take care of myself.” Feeling frozen to act may, therefore, become less and less of a problem as your ability to assert yourself and your sense of personal safety increase. When you feel safe, there is little need to fight, to flee, or to freeze.

Cognitive Processing Therapy or CPT is an evidence-based talk therapy for working through psychological trauma. It is a technique that I regularly offer my clients and one that I’ve found it to be very effective in resolving troublesome trauma-related symptoms like anxiety, depression, and panic-like sensations in the body. If you are curious about CPT or about the process of working through trauma, I invite you to listen to the podcast (accessible by clicking on the link) that lets you listen in on an entire course of CPT with a real client who wanted to share with others her journey through trauma therapy…

https://pca.st/S4erjj