Numerous therapeutic methods have been found to be effective in lessening or eradicating the overwhelming symptoms of trauma. These strategies center on decreasing a person’s response to traumatic memories and triggers, while also promoting feelings of stability and security, ultimately aiding in overall functioning. Recent studies have demonstrated that psychotherapy is more successful than medication in treating trauma, regardless of the specific type of therapy utilized.

The Use of Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE):

PE is a treatment method that aims to address PTSD avoidance behaviors. People who have experienced trauma often avoid things that remind them of their trauma in order to protect themselves from strong feelings of fear and pain. However, this avoidance can actually make the fear worse. During therapy, the therapist will use systematic desensitization methods to gradually expose the client to these triggers in a safe way. This can ultimately lead to a reduction in symptoms and promote healing. Additionally, clients will learn relaxation and grounding techniques from their therapist to use when faced with their triggers. This way, they can come to understand that these memories are not harmful and do not need to be avoided.

Treatment usually lasts between 8 and 15 sessions. As long as the person can clearly recall the traumatic event, PE has been shown to be effective for trauma across a wide range of traumatic experiences and populations. There are two groups of people who may not be good candidates for PE: people who cannot recall their traumatic memories at all or with any degree of detail, and those who cannot or are not willing to tolerate the discomfort that comes with reliving their traumas.

Avoidance Behavior: What Is It?

Any behavior people use to escape or distract themselves from difficult feelings, thoughts, and situations is an avoidance behavior. In addition to avoiding new job opportunities, career advancements, relationships, social situations, recreational activities, and family get-togethers, avoidance can also be used to cope with pain, trauma, and other mental health issues.

It can be understandable to avoid dangerous situations or peer pressure, but avoidance is more than just not wanting to feel uncomfortable. Avoiding something can make you feel in control, but it doesn’t always mean you have real control, as it depends on what you are avoiding. When these behaviors persist for too long, they can worsen other problems.

There are several mental health issues that can cause avoidant behavior, including:

• Anxiety disorder related to social situations
• Anxiety disorders
• A personality disorder characterized by avoidance
• PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder)
• Attachment avoidance
• Issues related to abandonment
• Shame from toxic practices
• Anxiety and depression
• A feeling of anxiety
• Toxic relationships
• Disorganized attachments

Avoidance Behavior Examples:

According to the person and situation, avoidance behaviors can take several forms. In addition to escapism, drug and alcohol use, daydreaming, or burying one’s emotions, these behaviors can provide temporary relief. However, as individuals avoid working toward solutions, these behaviors can ultimately worsen the problem.

Here is a list of avoidance behaviors:

• The desire to escape
• Misuse of drugs and alcohol
• Daydreaming and wishful thinking
• Burying emotions instead of processing them
• Isolation from others
• Minimizing eye contact
• Speaking in a lower voice
• Early departures from gatherings
• Avoiding social gatherings by making up excuses
• Chronic procrastination
• Last-minute cancellations
• Not answering phone calls or texts
• Avoiding certain places or times

Avoidance Behaviors: Are You Using Them?

You can recognize avoidance behaviors when you examine how you act around specific triggers and situations. Recognizing these patterns can help you identify how to address avoidance. You may be engaging in avoidance behavior if you ask yourself the following questions:

• Is there a reason I am avoiding this?
• What is the duration of my avoidance plan?
• When was the last time I completed a behavior instead of avoiding it?
• Is my avoidance making me feel uncomfortable?
• What is the impact of my avoidance on others?
• Whose idea is it to avoid this?

Behaviors Associated with Avoidance

A person could avoid an endless number of situations, feelings, thoughts, or people. However, avoidance behaviors generally fall into a few categories.

Avoidance Behaviors Include:

– Avoiding situations
Whenever you avoid a particular situation or put yourself at risk of being in it, you are engaging in avoidance. Due to past experiences or fear of future problems, you may exhibit this behavior with a specific location, person, or scenario that makes you uncomfortable. For example, if you have dentophobia, or if your ex frequents a coffee shop, you may avoid the dentist or that place.

– Avoidance of cognitive tasks
Avoidance through cognitive means involves avoiding specific thoughts. In these cases, your mind may feel blank or be filled with fantasies and positive thoughts that distract you from unwanted thoughts. This level of avoidance can be intentional or unintentional, as your brain may take over and move avoidance to the unconscious.

– Avoiding danger as a protective measure
During protective avoidance, you go out of your way to engage in behaviors that offer the perception of safety. This type of avoidance is based on the idea that modifying your environment eliminates the need to worry. Obsessive-compulsive disorder could be associated with these behaviors, which include checking, cleaning, or using “good luck” charms.

– Avoidance of somatic symptoms
In response to stress and anxiety, your body produces a physical reaction. Obviously, no one wants to feel anxious, but this level of avoidance prevents you from engaging in fun, exciting, or adventurous activities that may create similar feelings. You may avoid watching scary movies, exercising, or riding thrill rides.

– Avoiding substitutions
In substitution avoidance, uncomfortable thoughts, feelings, or emotions are replaced with more “pleasurable” alternatives, such as using substances to reduce anxiety or becoming angry to make worries and sadness less noticeable.

Systematic Desensitization: What Is It?

As a form of exposure therapy, systematic desensitization is used to help people address anxiety-related mental health concerns. In this treatment, the client is taught relaxation techniques and exposed to anxiety-provoking stimuli in a methodical manner. In the short term, when people face their fears, stress increases, but systematic desensitization believes that uncomfortable reactions will subside over time. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a branch of psychotherapy that recognizes the value and connection in a person’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Systematic desensitization falls under this umbrella, like other forms of exposure therapy. It is believed that many fears, worries, and stressors are caused by distorted thinking patterns and avoidant behaviors, which is why exposure therapies are so effective.

Exposure can help someone realize the following:

• Stress and fear can be managed in more ways than just avoidance and escape.
• Repeated exposure to a stressor will reduce its effects.
• Exposure will not result in the awful imagined outcomes of their stressors.

The Benefits of Systematic Desensitization:

In order to achieve these changes, systematic desensitization employs multiple processes, including:

• By exposing the person to anxiety triggers, they begin to develop more realistic beliefs and expectations about those triggers. As a result, they respond in a more moderate and appropriate manner rather than unpredictably or irrationally.
  
• Many fears are inappropriately reinforced through situations and avoidance. These distorted associations break down when the stimuli do not produce the feared reaction.
  
• A trigger loses its power after repeated exposure due to the body’s desire to maintain equilibrium. For example, in a swimming pool, the feeling of cold slowly fades as the body becomes accustomed to the temperature. However, it is the perception of the water that changes, not the temperature.
  
• By avoiding triggers, people feel as if their fears are stronger than they are, but through systematic desensitization, they learn how to effectively manage their reactions. As a result, they can accomplish and maintain change with a sense of control.

As we’ve explored, systematic desensitization offers a structured approach to overcoming anxiety by gradually confronting fears and learning effective coping strategies. But there’s another crucial aspect of managing anxiety that complements these techniques: grounding techniques.

In Part 2, we’ll dive into grounding techniques—practical exercises designed to help you stay present and calm amidst anxiety. We’ll cover a variety of methods, from mental to physical and soothing techniques, all aimed at reducing stress and enhancing your emotional well-being. Discover how these techniques can be seamlessly integrated into your daily routine to improve your overall mental health.

Join us as we explore these essential grounding strategies and learn how to make them a part of your everyday life. Don’t miss out on unlocking the full potential of your mental resilience—stay tuned!