When is the Right Time to Have Therapy for Trauma?

'When is the right time to have therapy for trauma?’ is a common question people ask following a traumatic event. ‘Is it too soon? Am I too late? When will I feel the most benefit?’ The answer is complicated because there are no hard and fast rules. Let me explain…

How Long Should You Wait to Have Therapy Following a Traumatic Event?

I always recommend people wait about four weeks before starting therapy, but this isn’t set in stone. It’s a very rough guide based on the opinion that after experiencing something traumatic, you can expect to feel the effects acutely for about four weeks.

This doesn’t mean trauma therapy shouldn’t ever take place earlier than this. The NICE clinical guidelines do say that if there are ‘clinically important symptoms’ in the first month following a traumatic event, then a trauma-focused therapy could be helpful.

For example, there have been times when I’ve worked with clients almost immediately after an event occurred. Their symptoms were so severe and debilitating, we had to intervene early to prevent them from having a complete crisis. This was when I was in the military on operations abroad, and the people I was helping needed to be able to function in an environment that was really unsafe and quite intense.

The Question of Coping

When I was in the military, I also used to give talks about recognising symptoms of trauma after a traumatic event, what’s normal, and what isn’t. Of course, these things are difficult to define, because everybody is so different.

It’s reasonable to expect certain things after a traumatic event. For instance, you may have difficulty sleeping, concentrating, and/or eating. You may experience lots of thoughts and emotions about the event, occasional dreams, and the feeling that you need to process and discuss what’s happened.

For some, this will feel manageable, especially if you’ve got a good support network around you. You might feel able to let things take their course for a few weeks and see whether you recover on your own.

For others, these sorts of symptoms might be completely intolerable. If you feel like you can’t cope, it might be worth reaching out for help sooner rather than later.

If you do decide to have therapy soon after an event, rather than exposure-based processing, you may benefit from a more supportive approach that gives you space to openly talk about the experience without any formal intervention at this stage.

Ultimately, the decision to have therapy early needs to be made carefully. A good therapist will take all the factors I’ve discussed into account before jumping into anything that involves trauma processing.

It’s Never Too Late to Seek Therapy for Trauma

It doesn’t matter how long ago something happened, it’s never too late to have therapy. I have clients in their 80s who are working through things that happened many, many years ago.

There are lots of reasons someone might take a long time to seek help. We often avoid things that feel uncomfortable, anxiety provoking, or scary, and this is especially common among people who’ve experienced trauma.

No matter what type of trauma you experience, it teaches you one core thing about the world: it isn’t safe. Because of this, your nervous system has learnt to protect you and fight for survival at all costs. This gives avoidance a great deal of power. Read What Happens When We Do Things That Scare Us? for more on this.

Some people take a long time to even recognise they’ve been through something traumatic. This is particularly true when it comes to certain childhood experiences. For example, it can be difficult to understand the impact of what DIDN’T happen while you were growing up.

Sometimes, when symptoms are really acute, people think it’s not a good time to have therapy because they don’t have the energy or the head space to focus on healing. However, this is often when people need therapy most. Worrying things may get worse before they get better is another common reason people avoid asking for help.

It doesn’t matter how long it’s taken you to begin your healing journey. Getting started is an important and courageous first step.