3 Ways to Challenge Your Beliefs (Trauma Recovery)
November is a time when Canadians remember our brave soldiers who sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom.
As we pay tribute to those who selflessly serve our country while enduring mental and physical trauma, this month you’ll learn three Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)-based strategies to challenge distorted beliefs so that you can reduce anxiety and regain a sense of safety and control in your life.
1.?Safety: Distinguishing Fear from Prudence
Traumatic experiences can make you fearful, irritable, and anxious when you feel unsafe. So, it’s understandable that you try to protect yourself as much as possible. You can implement prudent safety practices to reduce the probability of harm, like locking the door at night.
However, engaging in fear-based behaviours, such as never going outside or avoiding meeting new people, is excessive and will result in more feelings of anxiety than safety. Question this belief so that you can differentiate between what’s actually safe and what behaviours are excessive.
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2. Power & Control: Recognizing What You Can Influence
If you feel unsafe following a traumatic event, it’s likely that you also feel powerless. Understand that just because you don’t have control over everything in your life, that doesn’t mean you don’t have control over anything.
Try to identify the things that you can control, such as whether or not you choose to talk to someone new or speak in a calm voice rather than shouting when you’re mad. Then, realize what things are out of your control, like what someone may think of you or what might happen tomorrow when I leave the house. Making this differentiation will give you the freedom to understand what you can realistically control.
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3.?Trust: Rebuilding Confidence in Yourself and Others
If you often feel indecisive, betrayed, and doubtful, these thoughts can be the result of mistrust in yourself in others. A traumatic event can distort your perception that it’s safe to trust your own instincts or the motives of others.
For instance, when you meet someone new, try to get to know them before assuming they are bad or out to harm you. After all, our best friends and favourite coworkers started out as strangers, and they turned out to be a source of support and happiness.
Final Thoughts: Seek Professional Support on Your Healing Journey
Healing from a traumatic event takes time and effort, but the good news is that you don’t have to overcome unhealthy beliefs on your own.
Seek the help of a CPT-trained therapist to guide you through effective exercises so that you have the support needed to live your life to its fullest.
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This is a great post. It is important to recognize our vulnerabilities with respect to control in our lives..