CJ 725

Trauma refers to the human reaction to a troubling or distressing happening that devastates a person’s coping abilities; it causes feelings of helplessness, reduces their sense of self, and ability to feel various experiences and emotions. Trauma affects people of all races and ages; hence it is significant concern around the world. There are multiple forms of trauma, including acute, chronic, and complex. According to Gawęda et al. (2020), almost 60% of adults experience abuse or challenging family situations in their childhood. Additionally, the studies indicate that nearly 26% of children in America will encounter traumatic events before three years while one in ten kids has experienced various forms of sexual abuse.

However, various therapies could help mitigate the effects of trauma, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This is a form of treatment that helps victims of trauma learn how to recognize and alter disturbing or destructive thought patterns that negatively impact emotions and behavior. Cognitive Behavioral therapy majors on transforming automatic negative thoughts that could enhance anxiety, emotional difficulties, and depression. Among the major concerns is whether Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is more effective compared to other forms of therapy? Hence there is a need for further research about the topic. Various studies indicate that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is effective since it entails multiple approaches and techniques that focus on behaviors, emotions, and thoughts (Cohen et al., 2018).

Mainstream psychology often ignores the essence of trauma concerning cultural psychology. Even though clinical trauma psychology acknowledges the significance of the ethical value of variations in trauma treatment, there are minimal studies on how culture is related to trauma’s human emotional and cognitive responses. There are various self-care strategies that people with trauma could implement. (Salloum et al., 2019). For instance, talking to people more regularly, doing activities that make an individual relax, allowing oneself to experience emotions such as crying, and avoiding major life decisions.

References

Cohen, J. A., Deblinger, E., & Mannarino, A. P. (2018). Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy for children and families. Psychotherapy Research, 28(1), 47-57.

Gawęda, Ł., Pionke, R., Krężołek, M., Frydecka, D., Nelson, B., & Cechnicki, A. (2020). The interplay between childhood trauma, cognitive biases, psychotic-like experiences and depression and their additive impact on predicting lifetime suicidal behavior in young adults. Psychological medicine, 50(1), 116-124.

Salloum, A., Choi, M. J., & Stover, C. S. (2019). Exploratory study on the role of trauma-informed self-care on child welfare workers’ mental health. Children and Youth Services Review, 101, 299-306.

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