“Trauma Recovery Tips” for Restoration
This collection explores essential oils, reducing sugar, EMDR therapy, cultivating equanimity, and creating a personal memory list to support trauma recovery.
This is a list of monthly Trauma Recovery Tips from a trauma specialist, designed to help reduce the effects of trauma and chronic stress so you can live from a place of healing, hope, and greater well-being.
Healing from trauma looks different for each person. As a trauma-focused therapist, I do not recommend strategies I haven’t personally tried or regularly use. What I share here reflects years of experience, research, client feedback, and insights from other professionals—combining both cutting-edge and time-tested approaches to healing emotional wounds and managing persistent stress.
Trauma Recovery Tips
Trauma Tip #1: Essential Oils for Grounding
Essential oils are often used for grounding and emotional regulation. Many people notice a rapid calming effect when diffusing oils or using them mindfully.
Some clients use essential oils at the end of therapy sessions to help reorient and ground after emotional work—placing a small amount in their palms, cupping their hands around the nose, and breathing slowly in and out.
I personally enjoy Snow Lotus Essential Oils, which produce high-quality, therapeutic-grade oils.
Trauma Tip #2: Reduce or Eliminate Sugar
Reducing sugar intake can support emotional regulation. Research increasingly suggests a connection between inflammation and mood, and sugar can contribute to inflammation in both the body and brain.
Blood sugar fluctuations may intensify anxiety, particularly when levels drop. If you currently consume sugar regularly, consider reducing intake gradually. If cravings arise, pause and notice whether an emotional trigger may be present. Often, awareness alone can soften the craving.
Trauma Tip #3: Reduce Trauma Load With EMDR Therapy
EMDR therapy helps reduce the cumulative impact of traumatic experiences by reprocessing distressing memories that continue to influence present-day emotions and behaviors.
Watch a brief introduction to EMDR therapy
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Trauma Tip #4: Practicing Equanimity
Equanimity involves noticing thoughts, feelings, and sensations without judgment. This practice builds tolerance and resilience by allowing experiences to arise and pass naturally.
Try observing your internal experience as it is: if you feel hot, notice heat; if you feel pain, notice pain; if emotions are open or closed, simply observe them. Notice joy, sadness, boredom, or stimulation as waves that come and go.
This perspective, shared by Ram Dass in Becoming Nobody, encourages emotional freedom through acceptance.
Trauma Tip #5: Create a Top Ten Memory List
If it feels safe to do so, try writing a list of your ten most disturbing memories. Notice whether the list is shorter or longer than expected, and observe any patterns.
Next, write a list of your ten most positive memories. You may notice recurring themes—such as supportive people, moments of confidence, or times when you felt most yourself.
In EMDR therapy, distressing memories are processed because unresolved trauma often fuels present-day distress and a sense of being “stuck.”
Learn more about scheduling an EMDR therapy appointment
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About These Trauma Recovery Tips
This information is provided by Lemecia Lindsey, LICSW, who has dedicated her private counseling practice to helping clients heal from trauma. She specializes in EMDR therapy, neurofeedback, and integrative mental health care.
These tips are not a substitute for medical care. Please consult with a qualified healthcare provider to determine what approaches are appropriate for you.
Support for Trauma Recovery
If trauma or chronic stress continues to affect your daily life, therapy can provide personalized support beyond self-guided strategies.
Vancouver EMDR Therapy PLLC
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