Trauma is the mind and body's response to an experience that was terrifying, painful or beyond what you could cope with, such as violence, an accident, war, detention, abuse or forced migration. Sometimes trauma comes from repeated hard experiences in childhood.
After trauma, memories may return uninvited, you may have nightmares, feel constantly on guard or avoid anything that reminds you of what happened. When these symptoms persist, this is sometimes called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These reactions are not a sign of weakness, and with the right help the mind can hold these experiences more calmly.
Something else may fit better if…
Trauma therapy usually starts by building a sense of safety and learning skills to calm body and mind. You do not need to tell everything from the first day, and you set the pace.
Approaches such as trauma-focused CBT (TF-CBT), cognitive processing therapy (CPT), prolonged exposure and EMDR help process a painful memory so that it no longer affects life with the same intensity.
For complex, long-lasting trauma, therapy is often done in phases: stabilization first, then work with memories, and finally rebuilding life. If needed, a psychiatrist can assess whether medication may help with sleep or severe symptoms.
In online sessions in Persian, you can talk in your mother tongue about experiences that are hard to put into another language. Your therapist pays attention to your physical and emotional signals and slows down when needed.
The length of therapy varies by the kind of trauma; some approaches often take a few months, and complex trauma may need longer. It is natural for your mood to go up and down along the way.
Examples are fictional and illustrative.
Farhad left Afghanistan and reached Germany after a long, dangerous journey. Every loud noise made his body tense, and he had nightmares at night. In therapy he first learned how to calm his body. Then, slowly and safely, he worked on the memories with his therapist.
A year after a car accident, Mina still could not sit behind the wheel. The memory of that moment kept replaying before her eyes. With her therapist she worked on feelings of guilt and fear. Gradually and step by step, she started driving again.
Jila was abused as a child and always believed it was her fault. As an adult she found it very hard to trust anyone. Her therapist helped her see that experience from a new perspective. Over time her shame gave way to kindness toward herself.
These therapists list this on their profile. All sessions are online and in Persian.
No. You decide what to share and when. Trauma therapy usually starts with safety and calming skills.
EMDR is a trauma therapy that uses eye movements or bilateral stimulation while recalling a memory. It aims to help process the memory so its emotional intensity decreases, and some therapists offer it online.
Yes. Experiences of war, flight, detention or losing a home can be very heavy, and therapy can help. A Persian-speaking therapist often understands the cultural context of these experiences better too.
If you are unsafe or thinking about harming yourself, contact local emergency services, the police or a crisis line in your country right now. Your safety comes before anything else.
This page is general information and does not replace a professional assessment. If you are in immediate danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact your local emergency services. Urgent help
