How Long Does Trauma Therapy Take?

So, you've come to the realization that trauma therapy could be helpful for you. But how long is it going to take? It makes sense that you are eager to connect to some healing, after all—the significant impact of trauma can feel all-consuming at times, and it can be helpful to know going into it that trauma recovery takes time.

Trauma treatment often requires more long term therapy. That's because trauma changes us. It can significantly impact our mental health, relationships, and overall well-being. This can feel challenging when of course we are wanting more of a quick fix, but this process can be transformative in more ways than you may even imagine. Rest assured that no matter how long your healing process takes, the time will be worth it.

I'm Kayla Estenson Williams, a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in trauma and is passionate about supporting folks as they heal and build lives that are truly fulfilling to them.

In this post, I’ll break down:

• How trauma affects people,
• The different types of trauma therapy, 
• How therapy can help, and
• Factors that influence the healing process.

At the end of the post, you’ll be able to get in touch with a licensed therapist in your state to help you get started on your healing journey. 

Understanding the impact of trauma

What is trauma?

Because it can show up so many different ways for so many different people, trauma can be a difficult thing to pinpoint. Many of us are familiar with post traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. A PTSD diagnosis typically includes intrusive thoughts or trauma memories, struggling with trauma triggers, and a lowered sense of safety after a single incident trauma such as a robbery or sexual assault.

PTSD can also occur for those who have experienced numerous trauma events, even if those events seem "smaller" from the outside. Additionally, someone can experience trauma without meeting the full criteria for a PTSD diagnosis.

A helpful reminder when looking at trauma is that it is not actually about the traumatic event—rather, it's about how someone experiences it. That reminder can be especially helpful for those who have experienced complex trauma, which is often childhood trauma that may not include very obvious incidents of trauma. But complex trauma can still be just as impactful.

It's common for folks to dismiss their own trauma if it looked like chronic invalidation, rigid expectations, or chronic criticism, but it's important to know that when these seemingly smaller incidences of trauma occur frequently, they can have a significant effect on how we feel about ourselves, relationships, and the world around us.

So you may be wondering what are these impacts of trauma?

While an incidence of trauma can cause acute difficulties around a sense of safety or ability to focus in the short term, trauma can be one of those chronic conditions that can impact us for many years until we get the trauma informed care that we truly need.

Common ways trauma manifests in day-to-day life

Like I mentioned, trauma in unique to each person, but here are a few common ways people experience trauma.

• Feeling a lack of safety in certain situations or even everyday life
• A feeling of disconnect in our relationships
• Uncertainty about what we need in our relationships or support systems
• Difficulty communicating our needs or boundaries
• Lack of a strong sense of self
• Confusion about our own wants, needs, values, and goals
• Difficult emotions such as anxiety or depression
• Difficulty focusing or being present
• Negative thoughts about our self
• Traumatic memories or intrusive thoughts related to the traumatic experience
• Unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as substance use, to reduce emotional pain
• Feeling dysregulated in moments that are not actually threatening
• Being in a triggered state due to reminders of the trauma
• Life threatening concerns such as suicidal thoughts or self-injurious behavior

The way that someone is affected after traumatic events will vary from person to person for a number of different reasons. When the trauma occurred, how many traumatic events have taken place in your life, what quality of support you received around your trauma, and what other protective factors you have in place will all impact how a trauma feels to you.

Types of trauma therapy

There are many different forms of trauma therapy, and while you don't have to know exactly what type of therapy you are looking for before you start, it can be helpful to get an idea of what might resonate with you. Some people may prefer a type of therapy that is more focused on talking and processing, while others may prefer a type of therapy that includes more skills and practices, and some like a nice balance of both!

And while it would be nice for each type of therapy to give us a clear answer to the question: how long does trauma therapy take?, the real answer for each circumstance is that it varies. The recovery process will differ for each person, and you generally won't have a solid idea of your healing time frame until you are in the thick of your therapeutic process.

Building coping skills before trauma therapy

As trauma can have such significant impacts, treatment can feel intense as it tends to focus on deeply painful experiences. Most trauma therapy techniques will involve adding in regulation and coping skills either as a foundational step or ongoing process so that clients feel safe throughout treatment.

For those who struggle with serious suicidal ideation, focusing on building coping skills prior to trauma treatment is key. A common therapy that clients can start with here is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), which teaches skills around mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotion regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. These skills alone can be life changing, and they can also be an extremely helpful step in the healing process for trauma.

The need for effective coping skills is one factor that can lead to a wide range of time frames for trauma therapy. For example, a full DBT program can take up to a year or more, and that is just in preparation for trauma therapy. But please don't be discouraged. Even though overall healing may be a long term process, you will be able to feel and notice progress along the way and likely feel a significant transformation in your life once treatment has been going on consistently.

Narrative therapy

Narrative therapy takes a non-pathologizing approach to healing, and can be a great form of therapy for those looking for a collaborative and culturally sensitive experience in their healing (1). In narrative therapy, a therapist will help a client explore the different stories in their life. These stories hold lived experiences as well as how a client perceives themselves, others, and the world around them.

Together, the therapist and client rewrite stories that best connect to and support a client's dreams, values, and goals. This process can help clients to release from beliefs that their traumatic experiences imposed on them, and instead connect to beliefs that help them to grow in the ways that they feel fulfilled by. You can learn more about narrative therapy here.

The European Journal of Psychotraumatology has found that Narrative Exposure Therapy, which is a specific application of narrative techniques in treating trauma, has been found to be a highly effective treatment for trauma in diverse populations.

The average length of treatment in narrative therapy can vary greatly depending on the needs around trauma recovery as well as a clients long term goals. The duration tends to be client driven and can last months to years.

Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS)

Internal Family Systems is a technique that allows a client to identify and connect to The Self, who they truly are, and get to know the different parts of themselves, which can be parts that show up in certain ways due to past traumatic experiences. This theory is based off of family systems, which focuses on how members of a family may interact with each other and the system in different ways. Just like in family therapy, each member of the family may need their own attention and healing.

The main tenant here is that there are no bad parts. Through processing our experiences relating to these parts, a therapist can facilitate a client in healing any wounded parts and feeling a confident awareness of The Self. You can learn more about IFS here.

The Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, and Trauma found that after 16 90-minute sessions of IFS, clients found a significant decrease in PTSD symptoms as well as moderate improvement in self-compassion (2).

The average length of IFS treatment can vary greatly depending on both the needs in healing trauma as well as long term goals. This tends to be a more long term therapy and can last months to years.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR)

EMDR is a popular and effective treatment for trauma that helps to reduce distress around traumatic memories. In EMDR, a therapist will support a client in engaging in bilateral stimulation, such as rapid eye movements, while they discuss a memory related to their trauma.

The hypothesis here is that the bilateral stimulation helps to form new associations in the brain related to the traumatic memories, thus helping a client to reprocess the distress that they feel as well as any negative cognitions about themselves that show up.

EMDR is a popular form of therapy for a reason- it's effective! The Journal of EMDR practice and research found a4-week treatment of EMDR to be effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression (3).

As with most trauma therapies, the pacing of this therapy is done in a way that meets the client where they are at. Some clients may need greater or fewer preparation sessions to make sure that they have coping skills on board to prepare for trauma treatment, as well as greater or fewer sessions to reprocess their trauma. You can learn more about EMDR therapy here.

The average length of treatment for EMDR is six to 12 sessions.

Somatic experiencing

Somatic Experiencing is a body-based therapy that helps clients get out of a trauma-response cycle and get back into a feeling of safety and grounding in their body. Here, a therapist will help a client identify how they experience trauma in their body and help them build resources to regulate their nervous system and connect to a sense of safety in their life.

The European Journal of Psychotraumatology found that there is preliminary evidence demonstrating a reduction in PTSD symptoms with Somatic Experiencing, as well as improvement in affective and somatic symptoms (4). Learn more about Somatic Experiencing therapy here.

The average length of somatic experiencing therapy can vary. Some clients can find relief in a few sessions, while others may benefit from this therapy for months or years.

Other types of trauma therapy

There are many additional forms of trauma therapies that can feel helpful. Some other examples are Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy, Polyvagal Theory, Prolonged Exposure Therapy, and Accelerated Resolution Therapy. If you're not sure what type of therapy would be the best fit for you, start by finding a therapist you resonate with (more on that at the end of this article). This can help get you going in a direction that works for you.

How trauma therapy can help

Just as trauma can change our lives, healing our trauma can be equally life changing. Any trauma therapist could tell you about how they see the lives of their clients truly transform through trauma therapy. There are a number of significant benefits from trauma therapy, but here are some of the major, common ones.

A stronger sense of self-worth

Trauma typically impacts how we view ourselves and how we deem ourselves as worthy in the world. Healing our trauma can help us to let go of limiting self beliefs that we may hold and, instead, connect to an unwavering sense of self-worth.

More confidence in your wants, needs, values, and goals

Trauma therapy can help you to identify what is truly important to you. From healing, you can feel more connected to what direction you want to go in in life. This benefit will become more and more significant for you in the years to come as you continue to grow!

Healthier relationships

When we feel more confident in ourselves, we can make sure we show up more authentically in our relationships and build up relationships that are more supportive to us. Through trauma recovery, we can more easily connect to communication skills and boundaries that support healthy relationships.

A stronger sense of safety and regulation

In trauma therapy, we heal the parts of ourselves that don't feel safe and build skills so that we have the resources to help regulate our nervous system in moments of stress. This means that those symptoms that you are seeking trauma therapy for will become far less intense or frequent in your life.

Factors that influence how long trauma therapy takes

Your timeframe for healing will vary on a number of different factors. Two people could experience the same exact traumatic event, but the way they experience it and need to heal from it could differ greatly. When you work with a therapist, they can talk you through what frequency and duration of therapy might be best for you.

Here are some main factors that influence how long it can take to heal trauma.

Nature of the trauma that you experienced

There can be many different layers of a traumatic experience that impact not only how the trauma affects you, but also how long the healing process can be. Someone who experienced many years of chronic trauma, experienced trauma in relation to someone close to them, or experienced numerous traumas in different situations may need a longer time in therapy as a part of their healing journey. This does not mean that a "worse" trauma takes longer to process—it just means that some traumas may be more complicated to separate our lived experiences from.

How long it has been since the trauma

The time since the traumatic event can impact how long you are in therapy in either direction. If you've experienced a significant trauma many years ago and have lived your life since then being significantly impacted by your trauma, it may take a long time to unpack and heal your trauma. On the other hand, if you have experienced trauma many years ago, but have had several different moments of safety since then, you may not need as much time to heal from trauma. But, in general, being able to get support in therapy sooner after the traumatic experience is likely to shorten the time that you need therapy for healing.

What support systems you currently have in place

Your supports outside of therapy play a big role in your healing. If you have a strong support system of folks in your life who support your healing process, then it may be easier for you to connect to your therapeutic practices outside of session, which will likely shorten the duration that you need therapy. But fear not, if you don't have a solid support system now, your therapist can help you explore ways to build that strong support system so that you have it in place once you complete your therapy journey.

What level of dysregulation you currently experience

The level of symptoms and dysregulation you experience will understandably have an influence on how long your therapy process may take. Those who experience more severe dysregulation or have suicidal or substance abuse behaviors that are connected to their trauma are more likely to need more therapy to reduce harmful behaviors prior to beginning their trauma treatment.

How consistent you can be in the process

Your consistency outside of sessions can make all the difference in the progress that you make in therapy. When you are able to practice coping skills and other healing practices outside of session, your are likely to make progress a bit quicker in therapy.

What you want to get out of it

A helpful thing for anyone to keep in mind before starting therapy is that your goals for therapy may change. Some start trauma therapy to help reduce the more intense symptoms of trauma that they are facing, and once they get through that phase of therapy, they may continue therapy from time to time for different personal goals or life transitions.

Therapy can benefit us in a number of different ways. It can be an ongoing tool that we can reconnect to as needed over our life when we have different needs that show up. And as always, going to therapy is not a sign that you are broken. It is a sign that you are ready for healing and growth.

Connect with a top-rated trauma therapist near you

Because trauma can have such long-term and widespread impacts on our life, getting treatment that is specifically focused on healing trauma is essential. While most therapists have knowledge and some experience in trauma, working with a therapist who specializes in trauma-informed therapy can make all the difference in your healing journey.

Each form of trauma therapy can look a bit different, and can have different time frames. It's valid for this to feel confusing when trying to figure out what approach to go with. Many therapists are trained in multiple different trauma therapies, and may even use an eclectic approach when treating trauma, so a good place to start can often be finding a therapist that you feel connected to.

You are deserving of healing! And you are deserving of a therapist who is going to join you and support you throughout the process. That's where Best Therapists come in. This directory not only helps you find a therapist who specializes in what you are looking to work on, but they direct you towards the best therapists in your area. These are vetted therapists who are passionate about the work that they do. Find a therapist near you on Best Therapists today!