Movement Healing: Rethinking What We Know About Trauma and Trauma Treatment

Abstract

This paper is a literature analysis that explores body-based, or bottom-up processing treatments for (PTSD) and (C-PTSD) in comparison to traditional cognitive based therapies. Most people will experience a traumatic event or stressor, and some will require formal treatment from a mental health professional. Traumatic events often are experienced in the body and have biological processes rooted in the nervous system. Because trauma is prevalent and can be experienced in the body, it is important for mental health professionals to be aware of the potential treatment benefits of body-based therapies. Although more research is needed and most body-based therapies are at this time considered ancillary, there is evidence that they can be equally effective as some cognitive based therapies. Furthermore, these treatment models, and having a wide knowledge base of potential treatments, can assist more equitable service delivery to clients.