The Best Ways to Deal with Psychological Trauma In Children
Psychological trauma is an issue that many will experience in their lifetimes. It is usually caused by negative or shocking events that a person can experience. This includes theft, accidents, natural disasters, and loss. A person does not even need to be the one to personally experience the traumatizing event. They could be a bystander watching it happen to another, or even experience it through media like TV or the internet. Children in particular are more susceptible to developing this because of their innocence.
So how exactly can you deal with psychological trauma in children?
Dealing With Psychological Trauma in Children The Right Way
Dealing with psychological trauma is no easy task. Especially if the person experiencing it is a child. It is one of the first steps to developing PTSD which is far worse because it starts to directly affect a person’s daily life. So to help you either overcome the trauma yourself or help someone who is experiencing it, we’ve made this article.
Talk and Don’t Ignore The Problem
One of the worst things you can do to childhood trauma is to ignore it. Ignoring it can either cause the child to forget about the trauma as the best case scenario, however do note that this only happens rarely, or cause the trauma to get worse as the years go by. Ignoring psychological trauma can be compared to a small fire in your yard. You either leave it and it fizzles out, or you wake up in the middle of the night in the middle of a house fire.
Always try to talk to a child about their feelings about the trauma and never leave it to fester and grow.
Find Ways To Replace The Trauma With Positivity
A great way to deal with simple psychological trauma can be to replace the feeling of dread, with excitement. Let us explain.
For example, your child has a trauma of hospitals because of their need to take vaccinations or checkups. Instead of simply letting the day end with them having negative thoughts about the place, have them associate the visit with something positive. Take them to their favorite restaurant or buy them something every time they go to the hospital without tantrums. This trains them to think that these visits are more positive than negative. Eventually they will start forgetting about the trauma.
Bring In Outside Help from a Professional
Psychological trauma is a touchy subject because most people who have it will be in denial and avoid the subject as much as possible. This is especially evident in children. They will not acknowledge the trauma in order to not relive the experience. If you’re in this situation, then you might need the help of a professional.
Professionals like CNS Center Arizona can pinpoint the issue that is causing the psychological trauma in your child. In addition to this, a professional can guide you on how to properly handle it without their help. It’s a great way to ensure that you identify the right thing to do and what to avoid.
Final Thoughts
Psychological trauma may be a difficult problem to deal with. However, the right steps to handling it can go a long way to ensuring that it’s effects are minimized.
