Trauma Therapy: Healing with the 3 Stages of Trauma Recovery

If you’ve experienced trauma, you may not be sure about what the recovery process entails - or even be unsure if it’s possible to recover. This is understandable; posttraumatic symptoms are so overwhelming and it can feel sometimes like there is no way out from under them.

Although healing from trauma is not easy, it certainly is possible. In fact, there are well-documented stages that therapists and counsellors follow to guide trauma recovery (as outlined by Dr. Pierre Janet and Dr. Judith Herman). I find it can be helpful to know what these stages are, as it can help provide hope that there is a well-trodden path to recovery.

First, what are the symptoms of PTSD?

• Intrusive memories/flashbacks of the traumatic experience

• Avoidance of places, sounds, thoughts, or feelings relating to the traumatic experience

• Feeling constantly on edge, or easily startled

• Difficulty concentrating 

• Difficulty falling or staying asleep

• Irritability

• Negative thoughts about oneself or the world

• Social isolation

• Loss of interest in activities you previously enjoyed

• Ongoing negative emotions

• Mood swings

Other conditions that commonly occur alongside PTSD include:

• Substance Use Disorders

• Depression and Anxiety Disorders

• Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD)

• Eating Disorders

• Self-Injury

• Chronic Pain

• Physical Health Issues

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, know that you are not alone! Below, I will go through each stage of the trauma recovery process, and outline the tasks and goals that you would want to work through - ideally with the support of a trained professional. 

The Three Stages of Trauma Recovery:

1. Safety and Stabilization

2. Remembrance and Mourning

3. Reconnection and Integration

Safety and Stabilization

When you’ve experienced trauma, your sense of feeling safe in the world is compromised. This is particularly true if you have experienced repeated traumatic experiences, especially if they happened in childhood (as is commonly the case with individuals with complex PTSD/CPTSD). 

You may feel unsafe in your own body, in certain environments, or in your relationships with others. In this stage, your therapist will help you to regain a sense of physical, emotional, and/or environmental safety in your life. 

This may look like ensuring that your living situation is physically safe and stable, or assisting you in developing skills and tools to be able to regulate your emotions and establish a sense of emotional safety. This may also look like learning how to get ourselves back into our window of tolerance (as opposed to fight/flight/freeze), as I explored in this post.

This stage can take time and patience to work through, but it will equip you with the skills and tools you need to be ready to move onto stage 2: remembrance and mourning.

Remembrance and Mourning

Once you have sufficient safety and stability in your life, your therapist can work with you to make a plan for trauma processing. This does not involve reliving the trauma, but rather exploring, integrating, and mourning what happened in a way that is not too overwhelming to the nervous system. 

There are specific therapies that therapists use to safely guide you through this stage, including EMDR, Trama-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, somatic therapies, prolonged exposure, art therapy, inner child work and more. You may need to do some research to find a therapist who is trained in a type of trauma therapy that suits your needs and preferences.

Your therapist will work with you to ensure that this stage is appropriately paced and that there are tools in place to manage any overwhelming feelings if they arise.

Reconnection and Integration

The final stage of trauma recovery is all about reconnecting with yourself, others, and the world in new ways. After processing your trauma, you will have developed new perspectives on life, and this is going to impact how you interact with the world around you. 

This stage asks you to consider who you truly are, what you want from life, who you want to be in relationships with, and how you want to connect with others. This stage creates the space for you to be empowered to make new choices for yourself that reflect who you are now.

I hope that by outlining these 3 stages, I have given you some hope for your own recovery. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to email me at charlotte@relateandrestore.ca

I provide in-person trauma counselling in Vernon, B.C. If you are in Vernon, Armstrong, Lumby, Lake Country, or anywhere else in the North Okanagan and are looking for trauma therapy, please feel free to reach out and book a free consultation today to see if we may be a good fit to work together.