Complementary and Alternative Medicine Approaches to Trauma
Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) approaches to trauma treatment and prevention are treatment plans outside the realm of clinical approaches. These may include yoga, mediation, acupuncture, homeopathy, oriental medicine, massage therapy, herbal medicine, electromagnetic therapy, hypnosis, art therapy such as dance and music, among so many more. (Johns Hopkins Medicine). These forms of treatment are creative ways of healing trauma without the use of prescription medicine.
“Through the years, a significant amount of progress has been made with nontraditional approaches to trauma treatment. Some of the most researched and supported methods include yoga and mindfulness, but they are not the only options available for people who experience symptoms of PTSD.” (Rousseau, Module 4).
I want to talk about how meditation is used to improve PTSD symptoms. According to an article by Healthline, “meditation is a practice that can help you focus your mind and gain greater awareness of yourself, thoughts and inner experience, surroundings, and moment-to-moment needs.” There are different kinds of mediations, and some might help reduce stress-induced trauma and PTSD symptoms more than others. One of the leading meditation forms is called “mindfulness“. According to Healthline, “mindfulness refers to a state of mind where you can acknowledge your thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations without judgment.” This form of meditation helps one become more aware of the present moment, while staying safe and grounded while recalling past experiences or memories.
According to Module 4 of the course materials, Mindfulness refers to “the unprejudiced noticing of physical and emotional experiences, designed to enhance clarity and reduce rumination and self-critiquing.” In both definitions, the key word would be “without judgment” and “self-critiquing”. It is important to realize that you are engaging in mindfulness to not only heal, but to remember that your experiences do not define you.
CAM approaches are not for everyone, just like traditional treatment options are not. Finding what works for you is all apart of your own journey to healing. The process is ongoing, but it is important to know that there are many options available to you, all you have to do is choose.
References:
Rousseau, D. (2022). Module 4: Pathways to recovery: Understanding approaches to trauma treatment. https://learn.bu.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/22sprgmetcj720_o2/course/module4/allpages.htm
Swaim, E. (2022, April 20). Can meditation help ease PTSD symptoms? Healthline. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.healthline.com/health/ptsd-medita
Types of complementary and alternative medicine. Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/types-of-complementary-and-alternative-medicine
6 comments
Hi Katelyn! I think what you wrote about is so important for others to recognize because the practice of yoga and its beneficial value on mental health is often not spoken about. Like you said, “there are different kinds of mediations, and some might help reduce stress-induced trauma and PTSD symptoms more than others.” I think that is what a lot of people don’t understand. There are unique practices of yoga to specially treat different mental stressors, like you said mindfulness is one of those! Down regulating the nervous system, and quite literally reaching parts of your body like the vagus nerve through certain techniques taught in these yoga practices is something that needs to be made more aware.
Hi Katelyn!
Meditation is a great way to connect with yourself, your mind as well as your body. Mindfulness is definitely an important aspect to reduce symptoms of stress-related trauma. I for one didn’t know that mindfulness was recognized as a part of meditation. I have used mindfulness as a way to separate my experience of trauma from who I am, as it does not define me. Which is perfectly aligned with both definitions you have provided. It’s interesting to see how the brain can switch on attempts to self-heal without you even realizing it. It wasn’t until now that I knew being mindful was a form of treatment. It’s very interesting!
Best,
Kelly
Katelyn,
Your post is well articulated. Though CAM is not for everyone is has been shown to have a lot of benefits when combined with other therapies, including medicine. It is noted that Yoga has been used with positive results for the treatment of ptsd yet that alone is not a cure for all individuals. Great post.
Hi Katelyn!
Meditation is a great way to connect with yourself, your mind as well as your body. Mindfulness is definitely an important aspect to reduce symptoms of stress-related trauma. I for one didn’t know that mindfulness was recognized as a part of meditation. I have used mindfulness as a way to separate my experience of trauma from who I am, as it does not define me. Which is perfectly aligned with both definitions you have provided. It’s interesting to see how the brain can switch on attempts to self-heal without you even realizing it. It wasn’t until now that I knew being mindful was a form of treatment. It’s very interesting!
Best,
Kelly
This was a great post. Meditation is so powerful and not just for people with mental health issues. Ever since COVID, my family and I will join in a zoom call every Monday evening for a mediation session. We call it self care mondays. Meditation is clears your mind and you are just focused on your mind and body. It was a way to start our week off stress free and it helped a lot. It allowed us to get rid of all the negativity from the week before and start fresh. I believe meditation could be great for people with PTSD.
Hi Katelyn,
Great Post!!! Thank you for letting me know that so many different kinds of Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Most of them I never heard that before!! I really think that some of them are really useful due to the pandemic these few years! I never thought that mediation is the way to treat the PTSD, and after your post let me know that nowadays we already have so many different kinds of method to help the people who have PTSD
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