One of the most common treatments for trauma is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. CBT is about changing behavior through changing cognition (thinking). The CBT therapist uses a method that questions the client’s flawed thoughts and emotions, seeking to help the client correct his/her cognition, which in turn will correct his/her behavior. The problem with that when it comes to trauma is that the psychological damage resides in a deep place in the unconscious mind that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy cannot reach.
the power of emotion to heal trauma:
You can’t talk yourself out of trauma
To understand the power of emotion to heal trauma, listen to the renowned trauma researcher, psychiatrist, teacher, and author Dr. Bessel van der Kolk who has studied and treated trauma for over forty years in his Boston Trauma Center. In a May 2014 article in the New York Times Magazine, he is quoted as saying, “Trauma has nothing whatsoever to do with cognition. It has to do with your body being reset to interpret the world as a dangerous place.” He goes on to say that trauma’s “reset” begins in the brain’s most primitive structures, which no cognitive therapy can access. “It’s not something you can talk yourself out of,” he says.
the power of emotion to heal trauma:
trauma’s negative cycle of trauma
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) never tries to talk clients out of their distress because we know that emotion overrules logic every time. Efforts to reason people out of their emotional blocks result in an escalating loop of conflict. In EFT, this is called “the negative cycle.” To end this negative cycle, the EFT therapist uses validation, reflection, conjecture, and enactments to create a safe environment in which the client is able to face and share what was once too inaccessible and scary. The negative cycle of conflict can then be transformed into a new pattern of bonding and connecting in which the client finds the trauma wounds easing and confidence and peace taking its place.
If you would like to find out more about how we do trauma therapy, I urge you to contact us to schedule a free thirty-minute consultation.
Dr. Bernis Riley holds a Doctor of Psychology degree, is a Licensed Professional Counselor – Supervisor, and is certified in Emotionally Focused Therapy. She is the Clinical Director/Supervisor at SoulCare Counseling.