(Online) Trauma treatment

After a traumatic event, many people tend to avoid thoughts, feelings, situations, and activities that remind them of the event. Memories of the traumatic event evoke anxiety. Understandably, you therefore try to avoid these memories.

While avoidance can make you feel calmer and more relaxed in the short term, it actually worsens the problem in the long run. Your experiences are not properly processed, and your fears are not overcome. Breaking the avoidance is therefore an important focus point of treatment. We will confront your fears step by step and under safe conditions, aiming to gradually allow your fears and anxieties to diminish.

During trauma treatment, you will actively recall your traumatic memories so that you can process and store them again. There are several types of trauma treatment, but the two most effective treatments are EMDR and Imaginary Exposure. More information about these types of treatment can be found in their respective explanations.

What results can I expect after trauma treatment?
The treatment will lead to your memories losing their strength and emotional charge. Therefore, it will become easier and easier to recall and think about the original event. In many cases, the image of the memory itself also changes and becomes, for example, blurrier or smaller. It may be the case that less painful aspects of the event begin to emerge. Another possibility is that new thoughts or insights arise that give a different, less threatening meaning to the event. In turn, this will hopefully help the distressing experience find a better place in your life history.