Understanding Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Trauma Treatment Modalities

Thrive • June 15, 2021

Trauma and its mental health effects are nothing new. Prehistoric warriors faced mental health repercussions from battles. During World War I, the term shell-shocked was used to describe the struggles soldiers faced following the events of the war. Today, we understand that survivors of sexual violence, health crises, natural disasters, bereavement, mass shootings, accidents, and more are at risk for PTSD.

WHAT IS TRAUMA?

Trauma occurs when your mind becomes disconnected from your body. During a stressful event, the body’s fight-or-flight mechanism is triggered, a response that improves the individual’s chances of survival. When the nervous system is too overwhelmed to offer any solutions for survival, instead of ‘fighting’ or ‘flying,’ the body enters ‘freeze’ mode.

When the body freezes, trauma typically occurs. The stressful event is imprinted on the mind in sensory fragments. As a result, the body retains traumatic energy, which can be triggered by physical or sensory input that the brain misinterprets as dangerous. Many times, these responses subside as hormone levels return to normal.

WHAT IS POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD)?

When a traumatic event causes intrusive symptoms that affect an individual’s ability to cope in the present, they may be experiencing PTSD. About seven percent of American adults will experience PTSD.

PTSD is not completely understood by researchers. One theory is that sensory triggers are continually activating the fight-or-flight response. As a result, some brain functioning is diminished, including short-term memory. With the loss of short-term memory functioning, the past traumatic event is misinterpreted as a present threat.

Symptoms that fall into the following categories may arise:

Intrusive thoughts, such as dreams and flashbacks
Avoiding reminders of the trauma
Negative thoughts and feelings like fear
Reactive symptoms like irritability or trouble sleeping

A person is usually diagnosed with PTSD when these symptoms fail to subside.

HEALING FROM PTSD

The traumatized brain looks different than the non-traumatized brain. In the traumatized brain, the thinking center and emotion regulation center are under-activated, while the fear center is over-activated.

The good news is that the brain is changeable. Just as it altered when faced with a traumatic event, it can heal based on future events.

Below are some therapeutic modalities that have been effective at treating trauma and PTSD.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR helps reconnect the brain with the body following a traumatic event. Through bilateral eye movement, the emotional side of the brain is able to integrate with the cognitive part of the brain. As a result, the patient is empowered to discover rationality in the traumatic event.

Sensorimotor Therapy

Sensorimotor therapy encourages body awareness to foster recovery. When a person freezes in the face of a stressful event, their truncated reaction can be stored in the body. Sensorimotor therapy focuses on releasing the stored energy and helping the individual complete any desired action that may have been limited during the traumatic experience.

TRAUMA HEALING AT THRIVE

Thrive clinicians specialize in treating trauma and PTSD. We also understand how trauma and other behavioral health concerns can overlap. Thrive’s specialists help you untangle your struggles, so you can live a balanced, grounded, and joyful life.

The post Understanding Trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Trauma Treatment Modalities first appeared on Thrive Wellness.

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When Mealtimes Become Battlegrounds: How ARFID Impacts Families

August 21, 2025

When Emma was 8, her parents noticed her food choices shrinking. At first, they assumed it was just picky eating — “She’ll outgrow it,” friends said. But by 10, Emma would only eat crackers, cheese, and chicken nuggets. Family dinners became nightly struggles, her growth slowed, and she skipped birthday parties to avoid “strange food.” Her parents felt powerless, her brother grew frustrated, and outings dwindled. What began as food avoidance soon reshaped the rhythm of the entire household. When children avoid food, most parents expect it’s a passing stage. But when restriction deepens, shrinks to only a few “safe foods,” and begins affecting growth or health, families suddenly find themselves in unfamiliar territory. This is often where Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) emerges — with effects that extend far beyond the plate. As providers, we need to be attuned to these patterns. It’s tempting to dismiss them as “no big deal,” yet for many families, they are life-altering. Sadly, Emma’s story is not unusual. Mealtimes as Battlegrounds Families living with ARFID often describe mealtimes as emotionally charged, exhausting, and unpredictable. What should be a chance to connect around the table can feel more like a negotiation or even a standoff. Parents wrestle with whether to push their child to try a new food or give in to the same “safe foods” again and again to avoid tears, gagging, or complete meltdowns. This ongoing tension can make mealtimes dreaded rather than cherished. Siblings, too, are affected. Some may feel resentful when family meals are limited to what only one child will tolerate. Others may act out in response to the constant attention the child with ARFID receives. Over time, the dinner table shifts from a place of nourishment and bonding into a stage for conflict, anxiety, and guilt — a pattern that can erode family cohesion and resilience. Social Isolation and Missed Experiences ARFID impacts more than what happens at home; it influences how families engage with the world around them. Everyday events — birthday parties, school lunches, vacations, even extended family dinners — become sources of stress. Parents may pack special foods to avoid confrontation or, in many cases, decline invitations altogether to protect their child from embarrassment or overwhelm. This avoidance can lead to an unintended consequence: isolation. Families miss out on milestones, friendships, and traditions because of the unpredictability surrounding food. The child may feel left out or ashamed, while parents grieve the loss of “normal” family experiences. This social withdrawal can compound the anxiety already present in ARFID and deepen its impact across generations. Emotional Toll on Parents The emotional strain on parents navigating ARFID is significant. Many describe living in a constant state of worry — Will my child get enough nutrients? Will they ever grow out of this? Am I doing something wrong? This worry often spirals into guilt and self-blame, particularly when outside voices dismiss the disorder as mere “picky eating.” In addition, the pressure to “fix” mealtimes can strain marital relationships, creating disagreements over discipline, feeding strategies, or medical decisions. Parents may also feel emotionally depleted, pouring all their energy into managing one child’s needs while inadvertently neglecting themselves or their other children. Without support, this chronic stress can lead to burnout, depression, and disconnection within the family system. The Role of Providers For clinicians, ARFID must be viewed not only as an individual diagnosis but as a family-wide challenge. Effective care requires attention to both the clinical symptoms and the family dynamics that shape recovery. Parent Support: Educating caregivers that ARFID is not their fault, offering psychoeducation, and helping them reframe mealtime struggles as part of the disorder — not a parenting failure. Family-Based Interventions: Coaching families in structured meal support, communication strategies, and gradual exposure work so parents don’t feel powerless. Holistic Care: Involving therapists, dietitians, occupational therapists, and medical providers ensures that the family does not shoulder the weight of treatment alone. When families are validated, supported, and given practical tools, the entire household can begin to heal. Treatment is not only about expanding a child’s food repertoire but also about restoring peace, resilience, and connection at home. Moving Forward ARFID may begin with one individual, but its ripple effects are felt across the entire family system. By addressing both the psychological and relational dimensions, providers can help transform mealtimes from a source of conflict into an opportunity for healing and connection. For those who want to go deeper, we invite you to join our upcoming training on ARFID , where we will explore practical strategies for supporting both clients and their families.

Why You Might Be Missing Co-Occurring OCD and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Teens

July 30, 2025

How to Recognize Overlapping Behaviors + A Case Study and Screening Tools to Help

Is It OCD or an Eating Disorder? What Parents Need to Know

July 17, 2025

As a parent, noticing alarming behaviors around food or routines in your child can raise some important questions. You might be asking yourself, “Is this an eating disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), or something else entirely?” Understanding the signs and differences between these disorders is key to getting your child effective, timely treatment. In this blog, we’ll break down the overlap between OCD and eating disorders, what signs to watch for, and how to get professional help. If you're a parent wondering “Is my child’s eating disorder actually OCD?” or “OCD vs eating disorder in teens,” know that you’re not alone and you’re in the right place to find specialized care for your child. What Is OCD? Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition where unwanted thoughts (obsessions) cause anxiety, leading to repetitive behaviors (compulsions) intended to ease that anxiety. OCD can be focused on any subject. Common obsessions include contamination, perfectionism, scrupulosity, and harm, but sometimes, the content of obsessions can be focused on food, body image, or weight. What Is an Eating Disorder? Eating disorders , like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) involve disturbed eating behaviors and intense concerns about body weight or shape. These conditions go beyond dieting or “picky eating” and can become life-threatening without professional intervention. The Overlap: Why It Can Be Confusing OCD and eating disorders often share similar symptoms : Ritualistic eating (e.g., needing to eat foods in a certain order or at a certain time) Rigid rules about food (like only eating certain food groups or certain amounts of food) Excessive checking (like weighing food or body or repeated checking of expiration dates or thorough cooking) Avoidance behaviors ( like avoiding carbs, fats, or other food groups or avoiding places or objects that can trigger obsessions) Distress when routines are disrupted (either around mealtimes or exercise routines) So, How Can You Tell the Difference? Use the following chart to compare and contrast symptoms of OCD and eating disorders.