“Trauma Recovery Tips” for Creativity
This collection includes resources on the brain, adaptogens for stress support, the Integrative Mental Health Model, and an explanation of EMDR therapy in Spanish.
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 explored or regularly use. What I share here reflects clinical 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: Healing Through Reading
Recommended book:
Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma
by Peter A. Levine with Ann Frederick
This foundational text explores how trauma is held in the body and offers insight into restoring regulation and resilience.
Trauma Tip #2: The Brain Stem and Survival Responses
The brain stem—sometimes called the “reptilian” or lower brain—is responsible for arousal, reproduction, and maintaining basic bodily functions. It is where the earliest fight-or-flight response is activated when the body perceives threat.
When danger is sensed, the brain stem triggers immediate survival responses. Trauma can cause this system to remain overactivated. There are many ways to work with these threat responses, and EMDR therapy is one effective approach.
Trauma Tip #3: Adaptogens for Stress Support
Tulsi, also known as Holy Basil, is an adaptogenic herb traditionally used to support stress regulation and calm the nervous system. Adaptogens are foods or herbs that help reduce the effects of ongoing stress and support balance in the body.
Holy Basil has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for more than 3,000 years and is known for its adaptogenic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Research suggests benefits for psychological stress and other lifestyle-related conditions.
Trauma Tip #4: The Integrative Mental Health Model (IMHM)
The Integrative Mental Health Model (IMHM) looks at mental health through a whole-person lens. Therapists using this model assess biological and lifestyle factors such as energy, sleep, mood, movement, nutrition, hydration, and stress regulation.
Clients are supported in making informed lifestyle adjustments and replacing unhelpful habits with healthier alternatives. Because the brain, body, and emotional heart are interconnected, mental health care is most effective when it is integrative.
Trauma Tip #5: EMDR Therapy Explained in Spanish
Watch an explanation of EMDR therapy in Spanish
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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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