Forward-Facing Trauma Therapy
Forward-Facing Trauma Therapy (FFTT) treats trauma by creating safety in the present and intention in the future to address the past.
Forward-Facing Trauma Therapy (FFTT) is a recent development in trauma therapy that was designed by Dr. J Eric Gentry. The main goal of FFTT is to help people overcome the burden of their trauma so they can live the life they want for themselves.
FFTT teaches individuals how to cope with trauma triggers in healthier ways. By learning how to properly address trauma triggers, someone can heal from their trauma and live the lives that they want for themselves.
Forward-Facing Trauma Therapy—Confronting Trauma in 4 Steps
Trauma causes us to automatically react to stressful situations in ways that are detrimental to our overall well-being. FFTT teaches us how to confront these situations in a calculated and healthy way, rather than giving in to our automatic reactions.
Read our related guide to discover different types of trauma responses.
FFTT is a process, and it can be broken-down into four steps.
Step 1: Identify Triggers
During the first step, the client and therapist work together to find exactly what is causing the client pain. Clients learn to separate the emotions associated with the moment of trauma from the emotions of the aftermath.
FFTT teaches us that trauma-related stress comes from our autonomic nervous system (ANS) responding to a perceived threat. Recognizing that our ANS responds to perceived threats differently from how we would like to respond to them is an essential part of this step.
Step 2: Symptom Reduction
During this step, the client will learn strategies to relax when they are presented with a trauma trigger. These strategies help the client regulate their ANS and respond to triggers in a healthier way.
FFTT emphasizes the importance of setting positive intentions for responding to trauma triggers. People should intend to remain relaxed and in control over their emotions when faced with a trigger, rather than reacting out of fear, stress, or anxiety.
Step 3: Reassociation of Trauma
Long-term symptom reduction can lead to the reassociation of trauma-related dissociated thinking. Instead of running from trauma, the client can face it and push through it.
FFTT helps clients reconstruct harmful narratives about themselves and the role of trauma in their lives. Assigning new narratives can lessen the power that trauma has over them. This makes it easier for clients to confront their trauma, rather than succumbing to it.
Step 4: Daily Relaxation Techniques
These techniques are where looking to the future comes in. Each day, the client works to heal their symptoms at the core and decide who they want to be without trauma.
Trauma often makes people view themselves in a negative light, and it causes confusion about who they truly are. Contemplative writing is one method to help clients identify their true selves and help them declare who they will be in the future.
Read our related article for more information on what trauma is and how it affects us.
Moral Wounding—Losing Yourself to Trauma
Trauma often causes people to abandon their preconceived notions about themselves and the world around them. When this type of demoralization happens, it is referred to as moral wounding.
Moral wounding occurs in two main ways: acute moral wounding and chronic moral wounding.
Acute Moral Wounding—Instant Demoralization
Acute moral wounding occurs during a traumatic event. When someone experiences something traumatic, it can shatter their assumptions about their safety and the kindness of others. What was once a safe world may now appear to be dangerous and full of threats.
Chronic Moral Wounding—Perpetual Demoralization
Chronic moral wounding occurs after a traumatic event happens, and it can affect someone for the rest of their lives. This type of moral wounding causes someone to develop negative thought-patterns that lead to unwanted behaviors.
Moral Injury and PTSD
The negative thought-patterns caused by moral wounding is a common symptom cluster of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Individuals suffering from PTSD are prone to lashing out at others as a response to their moral injuries.
Read our related article for more information on the symptom clusters of PTSD.
Moral injuries are commonly associated with combat veterans. That being said, someone with complex posttraumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD) may also be prone to suffering from moral injuries. C-PTSD often stems from a long-term abusive relationship, and it can cause someone to develop a strong distrust of others and negative thoughts about themselves.
Read our related guide to discover the signs of PTSD and how PTSD can be treated.
Healing Moral Wounds With Forward-Facing Trauma Therapy
FFTT heals moral wounds by reconstructing negative thought-patterns. By developing healthier thought-patterns, someone can rid themselves from the lasting effects of trauma and begin to see the positive qualities in themselves and the world around them.
Sequoia Behavioral Health—Experts in Healing Trauma
At Sequoia Behavioral Health, we recognize the long-term impact that trauma has on the mind and body. We work closely with our clients to identify how trauma is affecting their lives, and we develop a treatment plan that is personalized to their healing journey.
If you or a loved one could benefit from trauma therapies like FFTT, reach out to one of our mental health professionals today.