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How do we know when it's time to address trauma without retraumatizing the person?

Mar Álvarez
Mar Álvarez Segura
TEVI (domestic violence witness) Psychiatrist at the Youth and Infant Mental Health Centre in Cornella
Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona

Trauma treatment is a long, phased process . Before beginning to address the trauma itself, people need to recover sufficient resources and even positive experiences from their lives that help them find stability. Gaining the reassurance that trauma doesn't define one's life is crucial, and therefore, first and foremost, it's necessary to revisit other experiences that have made you feel proud or genuine interpersonal experiences of love that we all have. I always say that it's the people themselves who open the door and let you know when they're ready.

Alicia Álvarez García
Dr. Alicia Álvarez García
Clinical and Research Director of the Trauma, Crisis and Conflict Unit of Barcelona (UTCCB)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Specialized trauma-focused therapies are designed to avoid retraumatizing the individual. A qualified mental health professional will know how to address the symptoms appropriately and within the necessary timeframe to prevent adding to the person's suffering. Retraumatization is more likely if the problem is not addressed specifically or if non-specialized approaches are attempted.

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Mar Álvarez
Mar Álvarez Segura
TEVI (domestic violence witness) Psychiatrist at the Youth and Infant Mental Health Centre in Cornella
Hospital Sant Joan de Déu Barcelona
Alicia Álvarez García
Dr. Alicia Álvarez García
Clinical and Research Director of the Trauma, Crisis and Conflict Unit of Barcelona (UTCCB)
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona