What Is Cognitive Processing Therapy And Why Is It One Of The Best Treatments For Trauma?

Let's be real - trauma can mess you up good. Those crappy experiences and painful memories just linger, weighing you down and making it hard to feel safe, in control, or like your true self. Maybe you avoid certain situations, constantly feel on edge, or struggle with shame, guilt, or anger you can't quite shake. It’s the worst.

But here's the real talk - you don't have to just "get over it" or live trapped by those trauma ghosts forever. There's a type of therapy designed specifically to help process through that crap and take your power back. It's called Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and it can be life-changing.

So what exactly is CPT and how does it work? At its core, CPT is all about understanding how we get "stuck" in unhelpful thought patterns and beliefs after traumatic experiences. Rather than just talking endlessly about your past hurts, CPT gives you tools to shift how you think about trauma in a way that eliminates its power over you.

First up, CPT dives into psychoeducation - learning the facts about how our minds respond to trauma and the different thought patterns that commonly arise, like:

• Overly negative beliefs about yourself ("I'm broken/weak/unlovable/a failure")

• Unhelpful beliefs about the trauma cause ("It was all my fault")

• Distorted thoughts about the world ("nowhere is safe/people are untrustworthy")

You get to see how these mental traps form and why they may have seemed logical or protective at one point, even if they harm you now.

The therapist guides you through untangling the knot of stuck thoughts and unhelpful beliefs about yourself, others, and the world that fuel your trauma symptoms

From there, CPT guides you in identifying and pulling apart the specific “stuck thoughts” holding you back from healing. Using worksheets and practicing skills between sessions, you learn to challenge and reframe trauma-related beliefs in a more balanced, reality-based way.

So, if your belief is "If I let my guard down, then I'll get hurt," or “I can’t trust anyone,” you may practice self-compassion and challenge that belief with contradictory evidence. You will be encouraged to ask yourself questions such as “what is the evidence for, or against this being true?” and “in what ways is the statement not including all of the information?” or “In what ways is it focused on feelings rather than facts.” If you're still blaming yourself for something that wasn't your fault, CPT helps you reassign responsibility and embrace self-forgiveness.

Little by little, CPT equips you with a toolkit to escape the self-blame, rumination, and negative mind traps fueled by unprocessed trauma. As you practice new ways of relating to your experiences and beliefs about yourself, the world, and others, your mind gets re-trained and the trauma symptoms loosen their grip on you and your life.

What's really powerful about CPT is recognizing how the way we think influences the way we feel and cope. As skewed trauma beliefs transform into more reasonable, flexible perspectives, the intense negative emotions around the experience start to shift too.

Instead of getting hijacked by shame, dread, or constant anger, CPT helps trauma sufferers gain a renewed sense of personal power, confidence, and self-compassion. You realize you don't have to keep punishing yourself or catastrophizing about the future. CPT is about becoming "unstuck" from old mental prisons.

And the best part? Research has shown CPT is highly effective at reducing not only PTSD, but secondary trauma symptoms like depression and anxiety as well. Study after study demonstrates CPT's ability to reduce trauma reactions and improve quality of life - all through the power of changing cognitions.

So while healing from trauma is never easy, CPT gives you a clear roadmap to take your life back. One belief at a time, one trauma trigger at a time, you build mastery over defusing the mental landmines that used to derail you so frequently.

Whether your trauma is from childhood abuse, sexual assault, military combat, a car crash, or some other painful experience, CPT provides tools to reclaim your narrative and identity. You learn to hold your truth while letting go of the negative beliefs and partial truths that have been weighing you down.

The path of CPT isn't quick or painless, though it is only 12-weekly sessions - in fact, some of the work can initially stir up heavy emotions as you dig into previously avoided territory. But don’t let initial pull to avoid control you, sticking with the process allows you to release decades of hurt in a contained, empowering way.

By learning to catch and counter unhelpful thoughts, accepting the full truth of what happened, and grieving what traumas took from you, CPT creates space for new growth. A re-building of your resilience. A fierce shedding of shame and a homecoming to your self-worth.

So if you're tired of letting that old crap define you or call the shots anymore, CPT is a powerful path to freedom. With the right guide and commitment to doing the work, taking trauma's power away and putting you back in the driver's seat is 100% possible.

You've got this, warrior. Time to show those trauma ghosts who's boss and reclaim your rightful throne - in your mind, in your life, in your badass truth.

If you want to learn more about the 12-session journey, check out Trauma Therapy or contact me now with any questions.