How do I know if I need therapy for a past trauma?

Struggling with a past trauma can start to feel like part of your daily routine. Perhaps you don’t even know who you are anymore because your trauma is so ingrained in you. Here are some key symptoms of an unhealed trauma:

1. One of the key symptoms of PTSD is avoidance. Do you avoid thoughts, emotions, memories, people, or situations because of your past trauma?

2. Re-experiencing your past trauma can also be a sign that you would benefit from treatment. Examples of re-experiencing are unwanted memories, nightmares, flashbacks, or feeling as though your trauma is happening again.

3. Intense emotions can also be a sign of unhealed trauma. Perhaps you feel guilty or shameful whenever you think about your past trauma. Other intense emotions can be fear, anxiety, depression, and anger (to name a few).

4. A change in thinking can also indicate that you have unhealed trauma. Example, “The world is dangerous”, “People cannot be trusted, “I am not safe”, “I shouldn’t have trusted them”, etc. A change in your thinking can be difficult to see if your trauma happened a long time ago (e.g. childhood trauma). This is because your thinking changed at such an early stage that it may seem like facts to you.

Self-Screener for PTSD

You can take a self-screener using the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-5). If your score is 33 or higher or your scores are higher on the first seven items, you may want to consider meeting with a therapist for a more in-depth assessment.

Therapy for PTSD

We recommend 4 therapies for PTSD or unhealed trauma (we’ve also included some short videos):

1. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

2. Prolonged Exposure (PE)

3. Eye movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

4. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

You can find more information about treatment options on the American Psychological Association website. Learn more about our PTSD therapists and treatment.

Book a Free Consultation with a Trauma Expert

Our psychotherapists at Virtual CBT Psychotherapy are specialists in treating trauma and PTSD. If you are interested in receiving treatment for your PTSD, book a free consultation with one of our trauma specialists today by clicking the tab below. Learn more about our trauma and PTSD therapists.

Reference: American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Publishing.