Treatment of medical trauma

Counselling and Psychotherapy

These are often beneficial for trauma and can be accessed via your GP/ self-referral to NHS Talking therapies. The waiting time can be long but is free at the point of access like the rest of NHS treatments.

Your GP practice or local NHS website will have details about accessing your local service, and the link below may also be helpful.

• NHS talking therapies for anxiety and depression
• Private psychotherapy or counselling is another option, if affordable for you. Click here to find a therapist in your area and search for one specialising in trauma and/or health psychology
• Somatic therapy. Somatic therapies, like somatic experiencing, take a body-based approach to healing trauma. If you have a difficult time talking about your experience, this therapy could be especially helpful since you won’t be required to talk about it (although you can)(1)
• Eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR). This uses specific eye movements or other repetitive movements to help you reprocess traumatic memories(2)
• Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Trauma-focused CBT in particular has been shown to help reduce PTSD symptoms(3)

It is important to remember that each person and therapist is different, and you may need to try different ones to find a therapist that suits you and your needs.

Medication

Your G.P. or mental health team can advise if medication will be helpful.

• In the short-term G.Ps may well look at prescribing ‘one-off’ anxiolytics’ such as a beta-blocker
  • e.g. Propranolol or a sedative type medication such as Diazepam
• Stand-alone medication only treats the symptoms of PTSD, such as hyper-ventilation, elevated heart rate or the feeling of being unaware of the procedure taking place
• Dental practices often refer to this medication as “twilight sedation”
• Medium term medications such as antidepressants, which also are used to manage anxiety may be prescribed. They may also be helpful if you have depression or anxiety alongside your medical trauma. However, as with many medications there are side-effects

In order to address the trauma, a medication regime should be accompanied by accessing Talking Therapies Services who can offer such services as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Intensive Therapy, group and 1:1 courses of treatment. These services are often ‘self-referral’.

Self management techniques

Below are a number of ways of accessing treatment online or self-management of trauma. Management of medical trauma is best done by a doctor or mental health professional, but these may be useful adjuncts to this, or useful whilst waiting for an appointment. Not all will suit everyone, so if it doesn’t help you or makes you feel worse, please stop.

Websites

• What is Medical Trauma? Public Fact Sheet (istss.org)
• Medical Trauma | The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (nctsn.org)

Apps:

• PTSD Coach
• HeadSpace – mindfulness app
• Insight Timer – lots of meditation, but also mini courses on many topics including trauma
• MoodTools

Books

There are many different workbooks on CBT and trauma including:

• “The Body Keeps the Score” by Bessel Van der Kolk
• “In an unspoken voice. How the body releases trauma and restores goodness” by Peter Levine
• “Becoming safely embodied” by Deirdre Fay
• “Recovering from trauma using compassionate focussed therapy” by Deborah Lee
• “The Body Remembers” by Babette Rothschild
• “Overcoming Trauma and PTSD a workbook integrating skills from ACT, DBT & CBT” by Sheela Raja
• “Mind over Mood” by Padetsky and Greenberger

Complementary therapies

• Mindfulness. This is a technique to notice the present without judgement. It involves breathing techniques, visualisation and other practices to reduce stress and relax the mind and body. There are many courses available on this- there should be one in your local area in person, online or using a book and tape. Breathworks is one specialising in mindfulness for people with chronic health problems 
• Yoga and Tai chi. Both can help reconnect mind and body
• Art and creative therapies. This can allow you to communicate feelings and experiences that are hard to put into words. What are arts and creative therapies? – Mind