Soteria Mental Health

What is the trauma curve? Why is it important?

Trauma therapy can be challenging, that is a pretty widely known fact. However, when done effectively, leaves individuals feeling a lot better than when they started. This occurrence is known as “the trauma curve”.

The trauma curve is basically a form of an inverted bell curve (see graphic below). Individuals come in at a certain baseline which is typically full of triggers, trauma responses, and poor sleep. They then start to work on their trauma in therapy and notice that their symptoms start to get worse. Often, we hear a lot that therapy “doesn’t work” for this reason. However, if one sticks with it, they will eventually start an upward climb and start to feel better. They eventually will get back to baseline and then start progressing past baseline. Once therapy is complete, they have a brand-new baseline that is actually way above the baseline that they came in with. This new baseline does not include triggers or trauma responses. Individuals feel like themselves and often have a different outlook than when they came in. They also typically feel more relaxed in their body and are able to get better sleep.

Why is the trauma curve a thing?

Often, we ignore trauma, or shove it in a closet and quickly shut the door. Trauma therapy is like opening the door to that closet. Everything may come crashing down, or you may see things that you put away a long time ago. This is why most individuals will initially feel worse. It is not because therapy is making them worse, but instead because they are actually feeling all of the things that they have pushed away for however long.

At the end of therapy, they are left with a closet that is full of only the stuff that benefits them and are able to open the door without fear of everything falling out.

So, what types of trauma therapies are “best”?

This is subjective and will differ depending on the individual, their presenting concerns, and their preference. Our clinic tends to lean towards EMDR or Brainspotting. These are both evidence-based treatment modalities that are typically “gentler” than traditional talk therapy, but there are many modalities out there!

Interested in learning more about these modalities or want to take the next step towards healing?