Top Misconceptions About Trauma Therapy Spokane

You are wondering if you should look for trauma therapy in Spokane, but you aren’t even sure what it involves or how to know if it’s right for you. When you think about it, it sounds… bad. Let me clear up some of the common misconceptions about the work I do as a trauma therapist.

Common misconceptions about trauma therapy in Spokane, WA

Here are some of the most common misconceptions I’ve noticed people have about trauma therapy:

1. Trauma therapy is only for people who have seen combat in military service.

   While it is true that veterans with combat trauma can greatly benefit from trauma therapy, people who have experienced any type of trauma can benefit from treatment if they have symptoms of posttraumatic stress. In fact, two of the gold-standard trauma treatments, Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), were initially designed for survivors of sexual trauma before they were later tested and adapted for military personnel.

2. Trauma therapy will make me relive the trauma.

   Trauma therapy may involve discussing and remembering the details of your trauma. However, your therapist will make sure this is done in a way that feels supportive and not retraumatizing. Sometimes when people initially remember a traumatic experience, their brains respond as if the trauma is happening all over again. Talking about the trauma in a safe, supportive environment can help your brain learn that you are safe and the trauma is over. That being said, you get to decide what you share in therapy and when. Some types of trauma therapy involve more discussion of the details of the trauma than others; you can decide what type of trauma therapy feels like the best fit for you.

3. Trauma therapy can’t help me because I don’t have a full memory of my trauma.

   While some people seem to remember every detail of every moment of their trauma, others find that there are whole pieces missing. Some people have no memory of the trauma at all, either because it happened in early childhood, they had a head injury, or because they dissociated during the trauma. This is not uncommon, and it doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from trauma therapy. If you have no memory of the trauma, that will mean that some therapies (for example, PE) will not be the right fit for you. However other therapies, including CPT, can be beneficial without any memory of the trauma.

4. Trauma therapy will help me forget about the trauma.

   Trauma therapy can’t erase memories. What it can do is help change the impact the memory has on you and your life. This looks different for everyone, but it can help people feel better about themselves, learn how to trust others or feel more safe in the world, start doing things they value that they were feeling too scared to do, and feel less distressed overall when they are reminded of the trauma. The memory will still be there, but it won’t be as distressing and it won’t be the driving force behind the decision you make.

5. Trauma therapy is only for people with severe symptoms.

   People who have experienced trauma can experience a range of symptoms, from mild to debilitating. You might appear to be doing just fine to others, despite experiencing emotional distress. If your experience of trauma is having an impact on your emotional state or your functioning (big or small), then you could find benefit in trauma therapy.

Dr. Lauren Koch, Licensed Psychologist Providing Trauma Therapy in Spokane, WA

A free consultation with a trauma therapist in Spokane

I hope this helps you feel more at ease as you look for trauma therapy in Spokane, WA. If you are looking for support, contact me for a free 15-minute consultation.

Looking for a particular therapy specialty? I specialize in trauma and PTSD, combat PTSD, and high achievers with anxiety.