You’re out of the storm, but somehow still stuck in it.  That’s one of the most bewildering parts of trauma: the danger has passed, but your nervous system hasn’t gotten the memo. You may be physically safe, but mentally and emotionally? It can feel like you’re on high alert, waiting for the next wave to hit.  It can feel like your sense of happiness hasn’t fully recovered, waiting for more bad news.

So how do you move on after trauma?

“Moving on” doesn’t mean forgetting or pretending it never happened. It means healing—to the point where the trauma doesn’t control your reactions, your relationships, or your sense of self. It means anchoring in the storm and finding your footing again.

Two of the most powerful trauma treatments we use at Dallas CBT are Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Both are evidence-based, structured, and help people move forward with clarity and strength.  Below are some key tools learned in these therapies that can help start the loosening up of the effects the trauma has on your life:

1. Loosen the Stuck Thoughts in Trauma

Trauma often creates rigid, self-blaming thoughts—like “I should have stopped it,” or “The world isn’t safe,” or “I’m broken.”

Cognitive Processing Therapy helps you identify these trauma-related beliefs (called “stuck points”) and evaluate them:

  • What beliefs or thoughts are causing you to feel “stuck”?
  • How do these thoughts make you feel?
  • Where did this stuck point come from?
  • Is this belief 100% true? What is the evidence for and against this belief?
  • What does holding on to this belief do for you?
  • Is it helping me recover—or keeping me stuck?
  • What would it be like to no longer hold onto this belief?
  • What might a more balanced and helpful thought be?

A helpful exercise: Write out the belief and your answers to all of the questions above. It may take time to counter it with a more balanced thought. 

This process takes time, but it’s powerful. Repeatedly challenging unhelpful beliefs helps rebuild a more realistic and compassionate view of yourself and the world.

2. Soothe the Nervous System Daily

Daily nervous system regulation strategies are essential to helping your body shift out of the anxious, fight-or-flight mode caused by trauma.  Start with very small, doable goals, such as 1 small effort or 2 minutes of a practice per day.  Here are a few practices to experiment with, find what works best for you:

  • Grounding exercises: Use your five senses to bring yourself back to the present. Try the 5-4-3-2-1 technique: What are 5 things you see? 4 things you can touch? 3 things you can hear? 2 things you can smell? 1 thing you can taste?
  • Tapping: Tapping rhythmically on acupressure points can lower distress and increase a sense of safety. (There is new research support for this! Plus, it’s free)
  • Body-based practices: Gentle yoga, walking, stretching, or rocking can reset the nervous system.
  • Safe connection: Trauma often isolates. Safe relationships help rewire the brain for trust and connection. Consider what one small step toward increasing your sense of connection might look like today

3. Reprocess the Memory 

Therapies like EMDR or Cognitive Processing Therapy do not erase your trauma—it helps your brain refile it.

EMDR uses bilateral stimulation (often eye movements or tapping) to activate the brain’s natural information-processing system. This allows you to revisit the memory without reliving the panic, so your nervous system can finally complete the healing process.  Importantly, this process is best done with a trauma therapist, and the basic process involves:

  • Recall the traumatic memory while tracking back-and-forth eye movements (or tapping).  You can also try walking in nature or bilateral beats to achieve bilateral stimulation.
  • Notice what thoughts, emotions, or body sensations come up
  • Let your mind make connections and remain open and accepting to whatever thoughts or meaning shows up. 

Over time, the memory becomes less emotionally charged, and new, adaptive beliefs can take root. 

4. Understand What Recovery Actually Means

Recovery isn’t about being “over it.” It’s about reclaiming your life, which can mean:

  • Feeling more like yourself again
  • Responding to stress in ways that fit the present, not the past
  • Reconnecting with values, joy, and purpose
  • Knowing the trauma happened, but not letting it define who you are

And for many people, therapy is a key part of that process. If you’re thinking about starting therapy, consider seeking someone trained in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT for Trauma), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), or another evidence-based trauma approach.  You don’t have to do it alone—and you don’t have to stay stuck.

Trauma therapists at Dallas CBT are here to help you in your recovery from trauma.  Give us a call to schedule an appointment, and learn more about trauma therapy.