Trauma improves mental control

Posted on August 23, 2018

Traumatic experiences help improve mental capacity and facilitate the ability to mentally process and understand information, bettering one’s resilience. It is currently being researched upon as a possible form of treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Teenagers (below 18 years old) who have gone through traumatic experiences related to abuse, accidents and deaths, especially highly traumatic ones, were proven to have better skills in instantly avoiding or blocking out certain memories when told to do so. This shows that trauma aids in one’s ability to suppress certain thoughts regardless of any positive or negative emotions present

Trauma as a possible form of treatment for PTSD can motivate patients to face their negative experiences and memories related to them. This direct confrontation towards traumatic experiences will gradually lower any pain, anxiety or sorrow that comes with the traumatic memories. Those who have difficulties getting over a trauma might have an impairment of mental control, possibly due to genetic reasons.

Currently, the most common form of mental training used to cope with trauma is to suppress disruptive or discomforting thoughts. Researchers hope to generate better cognitive behavioral therapies and more high-quality forms of treatment to enhance mental control and tackle PTSD.


Category(s):Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Coping with Medical Problems, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) / Trauma / Complex PTSD

Source material from The British Psychological Society