How EFIT Can Help You Heal from Past Traumas
We know that trauma is complex and long-lasting, leaving emotional scars that feel impossible to heal. Whether these experiences stem from childhood, relationships, or natural disasters, the impacts can negatively affect mental and physical well-being. The journey to healing is not straightforward, and may actually feel overwhelming at times. There is no "right" way to heal from trauma, but there are specific approaches that may be helpful. Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) is one of these approaches.
What is EFIT?
Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) is a therapeutic approach designed to help personal healing. EFIT grew from Attachment Theory, which is a model for how personality and relationships develop overtime. EFIT focuses on emotions as the core of our human experience, and can work as a guide to understand our distress. This therapeutic approach encourages emotional awareness and processing in order to work through past traumas.
How Does EFIT Help with Trauma?
1. Understanding Emotional Responses
Trauma ultimately leaves an individual feeling confused, lost, and alone. EFIT works with people on identifying what they are feeling, and how it relates to their past experiences. Emotions are natural reactions to distressing events, and healing starts with understanding why we feel the way that we do. Making sense of emotions and experiences can provide clarity, reducing self-blame and allowing room for compassion.
2. Creating a Safe Environment
EFIT prioritizes the therapist creating a safe environment for trauma processing. In order for this approach to work effectively, an individual must feel comfortable exploring their past without fear of discrimination or being retraumatized. Gradually, an individual will begin to confront their traumatic memories while knowing they will always be fully supported.
3. Accessing Emotions
Trauma can actually lead to the suppression of emotions as a form of coping. These emotions can feel intense and debilitating, so when they come to light, people learn to push them away as protection. EFIT encourages individuals to feel and express whatever it is they are feeling in a controlled environment. By doing so, clients can release their pent-up emotions which will allow for more processing to occur. Individuals are also taught effective ways to release these emotions without resulting to suppression.
4. Changing Negative Thought Patterns
EFIT helps with understanding the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Trauma changes our perceptions of the world, making our thoughts more negative. When we are constantly dwelling on the negatives, our emotions also start to decline, causing strain in daily lives and close relationships. By reframing negative thought patterns to be more helpful, emotions and behaviors will follow suit and improve overall well-being.
5. Emotional Resilience
Emotional resilience is the ability to cope with and deal with emotional distress. EFIT helps with identifying and overcoming trauma triggers that causes severe reactions. When these triggers are managed effectively through proper coping and regulation, an individual can build up a tolerance to future stressors and handle them with confidence and stability. Even though trauma may last forever, the symptoms don't have to.
6. Strengthening Relationships
Trauma can deeply impact significant relationships in a person's life, leading to difficulties in trust, communication, and emotional intimacy. EFIT addresses these relational concerns by helping individuals understand how their trauma can influence interactions with others. In therapy, people can learn healthier communication styles that do not push loved ones away, and help these individuals learn how to ask for help and support during their healing journey.
The Role of the Therapist
A skilled EFIT therapist will provide empathetic guidance to support individuals through their healing process. They can offer insights and make connections of past traumas to present day struggles, and provide skills to manage challenging emotions. Forming a therapeutic relationship is an important aspect of EFIT, so take time to build trust and rapport with your counselor. If you find yourself struggling with past traumas, schedule a session with a licensed therapist, and see if EFIT is the right fit for you!
