Holistic Trauma Treatment: Treating the Brain & Body

Guest Post Written By: Sophia Witheiler

Before I started my training as a therapist, I had a misconception about what trauma treatment ought to look like...

From my understanding, most diagnoses could be treated by means of traditional talk therapy or prescribing specific antipsychotic medication; when hearing about holistic health or natural, non-medical interventions, I often dismissed these ideas and was wary of their scientific rationalizations.

It has become abundantly clear that I had many misconceptions and utter lack of knowledge regarding what trauma actually is, how it impacts the human brain and body, and what trauma informed care should look like. While talk therapy and medication can be used in trauma treatment, a much more holistic, multidimensional approach is required to allow patients to fully recover and properly heal (Williams, 2017).

We often hear that trauma deeply impacts us, but in what ways?

When trauma is experienced as a child, it can drastically alter a child’s brain development; exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE) directly impacts the development of the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and other essential neurological structures. These adverse experiences are correlated with higher risk of disease later on in life, suicidal risk, and impact life expectancy (Harris, 2014).

Screening for ACE’s allow health care providers to apply a more accurate, multidisciplinary approach to helping our clients and lower the risk of future health problems. This is why we explore the past as well as the present with our clients in therapy.

Dr. Burke Harris developed holistic intervention across nutritional, social emotional, familial, academic and social domains for at-risk patients and I utilize this multifaceted approach when treating trauma with my clietns, because it is essential to their full recovery and helps lower the risk of future physical and mental health needs. After learning more about early childhood trauma, I hope to eventually develop a group practice composed of varying health professionals to provide my patients with holistic care. 

Understanding the ways in which trauma impacts the body’s stress response system is essential to developing holistic trauma treatment. When an individual’s fight or flight system is constantly activated, how can clinicians bring in interventions and care that targets lowering these high levels of stress?

We explore and consider using bottom up approaches (Williams, 2017), which essentially help clients cope with emotions and defense reactions, with our clients. Strategies to assist in modulating clients’ bodies include yoga, meditation and breathing techniques because these practices can allow individuals to release emotions and relieve stress and anxiety (Van der Kolk, 2014).

This is why we often ask our clients about mindfulness, movement and other techniques they can use OUTSIDE the therapy room and help them with accountability and symptom tracking in our sessions.

It is important to utilize trauma informed care to provide quality treatment for trauma clients. This approach empowers our clients and allows them to become an active participant in their goals and recovery, rather than re-traumatizing the individual and devaluing their experience (Williams, 2017).

My goal is to provide treatment that puts client’s in the driver's seat - allowing them to feel valued in the healing process and work together toward improving their overall quality of life and daily functioning.  

To schedule a consultation or first session with Sophia, email sophia@leltherapy.com

Resources: Harris, N.B. (2014) How childhood trauma affects health across a lifetime [Video]. TED Talks. https://www.ted.com/talks/nadine_burke_harris_how_childhood_trauma_affects_health_across_a_lifetime

Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. New York, NY. Williams, N. (2017) [Lecture notes on resource allocation]. Department of Applied Psychology, New York University. Trauma: Theoretical and Clinical Perspectives. https://2nyu.counseling.steinhardt.nyu.edu/.