Do I need stress management or trauma therapy?
Ever feel like your brain is completely overwhelmed? Whether you’re needing stress management or trying trauma therapy, stress and trauma have the same effect on the brain.
Stress management and trauma therapy and the overactive brain
Have you ever gone to the doctor because you had a sinus infection and known that you likely were in need of an antibiotic? Then, within a day or so you make the realization that you’ve had a sore throat, maybe strep throat, that has somehow started to heal? That, dear reader, is the same way that the brain responds to trauma therapy and to stress management - what helps one will help the next, and as trauma healers or stress management practitioners, we really don’t care what you call it as long as you feel better. But let’s get into the why behind both things.
Stress management and your nervous system
Many, many people are readily able to talk about how stressed out they are and how they need help with stress management in their daily lives. I hear, nearly daily, about how stressful it is to be a mom, an employee, a partner, a friend, a sister, a daughter, a caretaking family member, and the list goes on. The stressors related to these roles - remembering logistics or staying on guard for that return phone call about an important deal or appointment generate the autonomic nervous system response of, with many of my clients, fight or flight, keeping you ready to jump up to take that call or to stay vigilant so you don’t miss the next important thing.
Picture this. Your brain, doing its very best to keep you on track, is functioning in the exact same way that it would as if you were a mother bird in a nest, fighting off a nasty cuckoo bird aimed at stealing your nest! Your brain sends your body into overdrive to protect, to defend, and to outfox your opponent Your adrenaline starts coursing through your veins, your eyes narrow, cortisol levels spike to amplify how quickly you move into action. Only you’re not that mother bird defending her nest and home, you’re just you awaiting that dreaded call. And that nasty cuckoo bird is actually just a school nurse or an appointment reminder, more of an annoyance than an actual threat. But simply put - annoyance or threat - our brains often cannot tell the difference. Modern life, and modern motherhood especially, with all its expectations, bells, whistles, beeps, and notifications, repeatedly pings you as if you were under attack, and so your body, doing its best to protect you, response accordingly. But mama bird, you don’t have to stay here, fighting off imaginary cuckoo bird nest stealers. You simply need your body to get the message that you’re a brave-ass grown up woman, not a feisty little bird.
Stress responses, which are very uncomfortable, occur because of the brain’s inability to distinguish to between what is a real and viable threat and what is simply a thought that is threatening, bothersome, or annoying. Stress management tools, like trauma therapy, teach you to recognize when your body’s signals are trying to give you information and give you the space to decide whether there is true threat or perceived threat. Nervous system regulation techniques, often simple called stress management skills, assist you in dimming that stress response light to a dull glow rather than one that is like a floodlight.
Stress management and trauma response recovery
The same “treatment” for different (yet highly related) issues
Ironically, when someone has been through a trauma or through many traumatic experiences, the body responds to its surroundings the same way as that mama bird under attack. The body of the bird, having been through an attack before, is determined not to allow that to happen again, and the physiological response is the same - she is ready to fight, to fly, or to freeze in order to protect herself, her nest, and her babies.
In traumatized people, their bodies are their greatest resource because they, miraculously, kept them safe and sound during something that was terrifying. So, when known threats appear, their bodies respond the same way that they did in order to protect them before - tensing their muscles, slowing their digestion, giving them tunnel vision to be acutely aware of their surroundings. When one has gone through a trauma, their body’s barometer is extra sensitive to anything that could resemble a threat, and they become too alert to what is around them, similar to someone who is completely stressed out, raw, and far too open to attack.
Using the same skills that one would learn in stress management, trauma therapy can teach someone to reorient to their bodies as a safe place and not simply a smoke alarm, building ease and comfort in the body instead of keeping it in a state to protect or to reject. Though the original “threats” can be different, the way stress management and trauma therapy trains the brain and body to respond is the same.
“But mama bird, you don’t have to stay here, fighting off imaginary cuckoo bird nest stealers. You simply need your body to get the message that you’re a brave-ass grown up woman, not a feisty little bird.”
Mama bird on nest.
Does it matter? Stress or trauma?
The simple answer is no. Many people become overwhelmed with the thought of having endured a trauma, though nearly all of us have faced some sort of trauma in our lives. And even if we ourselves haven’t endured a particularly memorable trauma, our bodies have certainly felt on guard or have held onto moments, memories, or sensations that give us discomfort or a lack of ease. It’s ok if you’re not sure what is happening with you, but you know that you simply feel a sense of stress, agitation, irritability, or general dis-ease in your body. This awareness alone is the first step in tuning into what your body is trying to tell you about how it experiences the world; your body is simply trying to get your attention that it needs a little help to calm down. And it’s your minds turn to help it.
Stress management or trauma therapy can help with:
Emotional regulation
Body awareness
Muscle tension or chronic pain
Relationships
And a whole lot more. And just in time for the holidays, a stressful time of year for many, Rockwell Wellness Counseling is offering a morning stress management workshop on Saturday, November 12 from 9 AM-noon. Space is limited, and the program will be online so you can join from your own, comfy nest. More information about this special pre-holiday workshop can be found here. Whether you’re stressed out or wondering if trauma therapy is right for you, this basic, 3 hour workshop will give you some tools to start to explore your internal experience in an environment that is warm, safe, and YOURS. I hope you’ll join us.
About The Author
Leah Rockwell, LPC, LCPC is a mother and licensed professional counselor in Pennsylvania and Maryland. She provides online counseling for women struggling with the demands and burnout of motherhood. She is passionate about helping moms navigate the overwhelm associated with postpartum emotions, divorce, co-parenting, and career or creative dreams that feel beyond their reach. Leah is a respected expert and frequent contributor to wellness media outlets such as Women’s Health, Glamour, Livestrong, Bustle, Pop Sugar, and Entrepreneur to name a few.
