Trauma Recovery: How to Rewrite Your Own Story
Gabriel Skynrd
Recovering from trauma is like writing a book or a movie script, and now you get to be the author and hero of the story.
“An abnormal reaction to an abnormal situation is normal behavior.”― Victor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning
Skip to the End
What is your happy ending? Think about what things look like to you once you have recovered from your traumatic experiences. Write it down if you’d like, it can be a good reminder and motivator. Once you have a clear picture of how your story resolves, it’s easier to find your way there.
Writing a Great Story
Every good book or movie has five elements: Characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution. Your trauma experience has these elements too. You already know the characters and setting.
The Conflict: What Happened to You?
Instead of asking “what’s wrong with me?” ask the question “what happened to me?” Your trauma and reaction do not define who you are. It is normal to withdraw and not want to think or talk about the event. There are some things you can try that might help you identify and begin to understand what happened without suffering the extreme emotions connected to it.
Watch Your Own Movie. Imagine your favorite actor or actress is playing the role of you in a film about what happened. Mentally observe the events but try to disconnect your personal emotions. This can be difficult, and it may be helpful to have a counselor or therapist guide you.
Change the Narrative. Guilt and shame are common feelings associated with trauma. You might think if you had done things differently or made different choices, the terrible event would not have happened.
The first thing to remember when these thoughts occur is that it did happen, but it is in the past. Beating yourself up will not change that.
Next, instead of imagining different outcomes, focus on what actually happened. Look at the parts of the event that you had no control over, such as choices other people made that affected you.
Finally, recognize that the choices you made were based on survival. “Fight, flight, or freeze” is a natural, normal response to trauma. We rarely have control over that response in the moment. Be gentle with yourself and recognize that you did the best you could in that place, situation, and moment.
The Plot: Stages of Trauma
The plot, which is the part you are in now, follows the three stages of trauma. These stages do not necessarily follow a logical timeline or order, and sometimes repeat. Each person experiences and navigates these stages in their own way.
The Resolution: Recognize and Use Your Strengths
Now that you have identified, observed, and changed the narrative of your trauma, you can use that to write the next chapters of your story. Recognizing the things you CAN do instead of focusing on limitations puts you in a recovery mindset. You do have strengths, evidenced by the fact that you survived your trauma and are here reading this. You are so much stronger than you think you are.
This is where you get to decide what the hero of your trauma story does next. Maybe you collaborate with a counselor or close friend to set some goals. You might use your experience to help others, such as writing a blog or leading a support group. Discovering your strengths might motivate you to change careers, go to college, or move to a different city. You are in control; you get to write the story. You might have to make some edits along the way as you run into obstacles or challenges, but that’s okay. You survived this! You are strong and resilient!
I would really like to know, what does the next part of your recovery story look like?
Edited by: Crystal Fuller
Sources:
Anderson, K. (n.d.). The stages of trauma and recovery | claritytherapynyc.com. Clarity Therapy. Retrieved July 6, 2022, from https://www.claritytherapynyc.com/stages-of-trauma-and-recovery/
Dokkedahl, S., Kristensen, T. R., Murphy, S., & Elklit, A. (2021). The complex trauma of psychological violence: Cross-sectional findings from a cohort of four danish women shelters. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2020.1863580
Dye, H. (2018). The impact and long-term effects of childhood trauma. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 28(3), 381–392. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2018.1435328