As a woman in New York City, you know what it takes to achieve success. You have juggled countless careers, relationships, and personal commitments. The life you have? You forged that all on your own with your hard work and dedication. But, as you know, life isn’t always easy. Recently, you are overwhelmingly exhausted trying to go through your everyday life and juggle your commitments as if you didn't have to manage chronic pain and a chronic illness. Or, if you didn't have to manage the grief due to the medical trauma that you experienced during your pregnancy, childbirth, or aftercare. This is a block you can't seem to move on your own and can't move past to get back on track with your goals.
Even though you're struggling with your medical trauma, you are still showing up for yourself and others in ways that matter. You're still killing it at work, at home, and in your personal relationships despite the medical trauma you experienced. But, you wish you had others who could relate to and understand what you're going through. This is where support groups for young adults with chronic illness and chronic pain can be beneficial.
How Do Support Groups Benefit Women with Complex and Medical Trauma?
As a medical trauma therapist in New York, I've seen firsthand the life-changing impact that support groups can have on women with complex and medical trauma. Support groups give women with complex and medical trauma a place to meet and interact with others. They may not have the exact same diagnosis, but they certainly understand the emotional and physical toll of a chronic disease or illness.
Therapy groups when led by a licensed therapist can not only give you a place to gain emotional support but give it to other women as well. You can also get real life tools that will actually help you manage your emotions in a healthier and more positive way. As you know, medical trauma can become complex trauma when the condition is chronic as you are getting repeated invasive exams, painful treatments, repeated surgeries, and many appointments. Having a safe place to talk about your experiences with people that understand can be healing.
What Ways Can These Support Groups Give Support and Help Women Overcome Trauma?
These support groups can help women with medical trauma build skills, such as mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). These skills will allow you to keep striving toward your achievements and also give you the ability to cope with the pain and stress that comes with your medical trauma. You having coping mechanisms to fall back on in times of distress can be incredibly helpful.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness gives you the skills to allow yourself to be present in the moment rather than focused on the future or stuck in the past. With breathing techniques, you will be able to reduce the stress and anxiety that your body is experiencing due to the daily struggles of medical trauma. It calms down your brain and then you can focus on the present moment and create distance from your thoughts.
Visualizations while meditating are also beneficial. You can imagine yourself in a calm, peaceful place and focus on that. It helps to center you in the present, instead of ruminating on your trauma or worrying about what could happen in the future.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Skills
In these support groups, you will learn about cognitive distortions such as black-and-white thinking, catastrophizing, and all-or-nothing thinking. For example, "I'm always going to be in pain,", "I will only feel better when my test results are normal," and "I can never do anything right". These thoughts can increase the anxiety, stress, and effects of your complex and medical trauma.
With your newfound CBT skills, you will be able to challenge these negative thoughts and create new neural pathways in your brain. By challenging these negative thoughts with more positive ones such as "I am capable of handling this pain," "My body is strong and resilient," and "I am doing the best I can," you will help your brain create these new pathways and it will help you get "unstuck" in your pain.
Distress Tolerance Skills
In these support groups for women with medical trauma, you will also learn distress tolerance skills to strengthen and build your distress tolerance muscle. You'll learn different tools and ideas to distract yourself, in a healthy way, from physical or emotional pain. This will help you build your distress tolerance muscle and will assist you in focusing on more positive aspects of your life rather than the negative.
Some distracting activities that can be helpful when you are feeling overwhelmed or distressed can be listening to music (think of your favorite song!), going for a walk, knitting that blanket you keep wanting to make or writing your thoughts and feelings down in a journal. These activities can help you focus on something other than your pain, your illness/disease, or any negative aspects that you may be feeling.
What Else Can Women with Medical Trauma Do?
In addition to attending these support groups, there are several other things that you can do alongside these groups that will help you with your medical trauma. At Greater Washington DC and New York City CBT Counseling for Women, I recognize that using a multidisciplinary approach is often the most effective way to treat medical trauma. So, here are some ways to take a multidisciplinary approach:
Find a Physical Therapist
Finding and having a physical therapist to support you in finding exercise for your body without causing you pain and discomfort is important. This will help you get back to doing activities that you used to enjoy and can also help you manage your pain. Some physical therapists in New York are:
Find a Massage Therapist and/or Acupuncturist
Massage therapy and/or an acupuncturist can also help to increase the communication between your body and mind. They can also help with the symptoms of your specific condition. These therapies can help release emotional, physical, and mental tension as well as increase your body’s circulation.
Just Breathe
I'm sure you've heard this before as a successful, high-achieving woman, but just breathe. One way to do this is by box breathing. Box breathing is a type of breathwork that can help calm your nervous system, activate your parasympathetic nervous system and ground yourself in the present moment. Using this along with your meditation tools is the most effective way to practice distress tolerance and find moments of peace throughout your day.
Support groups for young adults with chronic illness, chronic pain, complex, and medical trauma are essential. They provide a safe and accepting space to explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences without being judged or feeling alone. With the help of a medical trauma therapist in new york, you will have the opportunity to connect with other women who are going through similar experiences. You'll be able to share your stories, gain support, give support, and learn new coping skills for dealing with the trauma you've experienced. You can still achieve your goals by utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, engaging in breath work and meditation, and actively seeking support.
Interested in Online Women's Therapy in Washington, D.C.?
Truly being successful in life starts by showing up for yourself. Having a group that supports you and understands your experience, is the key to achieving lasting mental health and well-being. My online therapy groups are a great way to get the support and guidance you need, without leaving your home. You are and can be the high-achieving woman you are meant to be, and I am here to help you on your journey.
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Other Mental Health Services Offered at Greater Washington DC and New York City CBT Counseling for Women
You deserve to have support from women who understand your complex and medical trauma. My women's support groups offer an open and safe space to share, explore, and talk about the trauma you have experienced without judgment. I am an expert that specializes in women's health and understand that you may be seeking other services besides the support group. At Greater Washington DC and New York City CBT Counseling for Women, I offer an array of therapeutic services for anxiety, depression, and PTSD in both Individual and Group counseling settings. I also specialize in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy in addition to CBT.