As a holistic, integrative psychologist, I have seen the impact that trauma has across all areas of life. In working to help others heal trauma, I have come to realize that only a few of the healing components focus on the physical, while others, such as releasing suppressed emotions or identifying the reasons or purposes of living, are harder to identify and cannot be attained by merely “writing a prescription.” They are, however, equally important to the sustained healing of trauma. When trauma is left unidentified or unattended to, it can spiral into several types of physical and psychological iemsymptoms that lead to needless suffering. Within the social and physical sciences, there is now a discussion of what is termed ‘Big T’ and ‘Little T’ traumas that build up in a person’s system overtime. The more trauma a person experiences, the greater the risk of disease, particularly as we age. Fortunately, more recent scientific findings suggest that trauma is completely treatable. The science is now available to apply to emotionally-based interventions, which truly solidifies the connection between mind-body approaches. In reality, the mind (brain) and body are one interconnected system.
With that in mind, I would like to outline some of the mental, emotional and spiritual practices currently being utilized to heal trauma, and briefly discuss the extent of scientifically based research in support of their use:
1. Advanced Integrative Therapy (AIT)
This form of energy therapy is similar to tapping (EFT) but is grounded in a more complex psychotherapeutic foundation. It is now used to help cancer patients who have either opted out of conventional treatment or choose to use it as adjunctive treatment. AIT identifies and permanently clears traumatic blocks in the energy systems that are believed to predispose an individual to mental and physical health challenges. A goal is to move these stuck energies through the chakra system and to facilitate the “three step transformation” to interrupt and heal traumatic patterns. At this time, there is anecdotal support for AIT. Given scientific advances in brain mapping and the identification of changes on a cellular level, it seems reasonable to hope that scientific evidence will be forthcoming in support of this approach.
2. Internal Family Systems (IFS)
IFS is a less known healing modality created by family therapist, Richard Schwartz. The approach speaks to the many different sides of every individual, such as the inner child, parent, or caregiver, referred to as “discrete minds.” It looks at how all sides of an individual play an invaluable part in the complete self. Importantly, there is the beginnings of scientific evidence in support of this approach in the treatment of physical disease and trauma.
3.. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
This psychotherapeutic technique, in which therapists guide patients through guided eye movements, may be particularly beneficial for people who do not completely remember their traumas. Examples of this include those who have a phobia they cannot explain the cause of, or those who recall pieces of traumatic experiences but cannot stop their impact on current attachments. Scientific research has shown that EMDR significantly decreases activity in the amygdala and hippocampus. The result is that EMDR takes the stress response, which due to trauma has remained consistently active and heightened, and quiets it down. Once this occurs, the individual recalls the trauma in a more complete way, but is no longer impacted by the fight, flight or freeze response in day to day life.
4. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
EFT, also know as tapping, is a traditional Chinese medicine technique that involves tapping on key energy centers of the body to release pain and stagnation. These energy centers coincide with acupuncture and acupressure points used by professionals trained in eastern modalities. Currently, there is anecdotal evidence in support of this approach. More scientific research is needed in order to bring this approach to the level of being an evidenced based approach.
5 Brainspotting (BSP)
Brainspotting locates points in a client’s visual field that help to access trauma in the subcortical areas of the brain-stem, amygdala and hippocampus (non-verbal) areas of the brain. BSP helps to identify and heal the underlying trauma that contributes to depression, anxiety and other behavioral conditions. It can also be used effectively to enhance performance and creativity. BSP provides the therapist with access to both brain and body processes, as it bypasses conscious, neo-cortical thinking. Instead, it accesses the deeper emotional and body-based parts of the brain. Scientific research has shown that BSP significantly decreases activity in the amygdala and hippocampus. The result is that BSP takes the stress response, which due to trauma has remained consistently active and heightened, and quiets it down. Clinical research is showing that BSP seems to accomplish this in a gentler way than other body based approaches, such as EMDR.
At this time, more scientific research is needed to determine the efficacy of several trauma healing techniques. As the scientific research into these techniques continues to evolve, it is vital to work with a well trained, licensed professional. Specifically, one who keeps up with recent research developments and can discern the difference between evidence based approaches, scientifically promising approaches, and techniques with no merit or research behind them, as well one able to discern the suitability of each approach for specific situations.