How to Choose a Trauma Therapist

Choosing the right trauma therapist for you is vitally important: Traumatizing events can have a one-two punch: First you have a shock recorded in the body on all levels; if the shock cannot be understood or assimilated at the time it happens, it is stored in the nervous system, organs or tissues or the body until it can be processed. For most people, many traumatizing events cause lingering emotional and physical problems because they were dismissed or forgotten but they are still affecting your life. Not all therapists offer techniques that move stuck emotions and traumas out of the body. It’s also important not to be re-traumatized in the process of clearing the original event.

Traditional “talk therapy” can be extremely helpful in helping you identify blocks to your progress, but often it cannot help you to clear trauma out of the body because talking by itself does not resolve trauma. Psychologist Peter Levine in his book “Waking the Tiger” was the first to observe many years ago, that traumatizing events MUST be released from the body in order to stop creating problems like insomnia and hypervigilance and a host of other issues.

In order to release trauma out of the body a connection must be made between the body and the mind in order to reframe the key decisions made during a traumatic event. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT-Tapping) provides a proven and excellent method for clearing trauma – but only when it is combined with wording from the traumatized person’s own history.

What to look for when you are searching for a trauma therapist who is the right fit for you:

  1. Look for a therapist who specializes in resolving trauma.
  2. Find out if that person will talk with you before scheduling a session so you can ask questions.
  3. Try to get a sense of the person – has he or she done her own personal growth homework?
  4. Find out if the therapist has experience with the type of issue you want help with.
  5. Look for a combination of compassion and clear logical thinking when you talk with the potential therapist.
  6. Don’t be afraid to say no if you have doubts about the person’s ability to help you.
  7. Don’t be afraid to say yes if you get an “antzy” feeling that might be anticipation of progress which means change!

Watch a 20-minute video interview with Dr. Drewry on the topic of resolving PTSD with Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT-TAPPING).