Fear or trauma does not have to limit the way we live, or throw us into a fear response for the rest of our lives.

Fear of flying, spiders, or other fearful situations that give us trauma or PTSD can be life-altering. It can limit our lives and make it less enjoyable.

For some, it is even depressing. Learning how to deal with trauma or persistent fear can remedy that.

But it can also change your thinking to reshape your life into something you will enjoy.

And you know what? It’s simpler than you think.

Unfortunately, many traumatized people don't believe they can heal from past trauma.

The human fear response

- People do not know they can heal from trauma.

- People are reluctant to try healing because it hurts.

- People can't find therapists that know how to help them.

- Accepting that you can change is hard in itself.

But I am here to tell you that healing from trauma or fear is not that hard; healing does not have to take very long.

Here's how step by step:

Step 1: Find the right method

Three proven therapies have been shown to have a strong impact; reducing fears and traumas.

- Prolonged exposure therapy

- Cognitive processing CPT

- Cognitive behavioral therapy

This can be done in three ways.

1. Verbally retelling the traumatic story in detail; face-to-face with a cognitive behavioral therapist

2. Verbally telling the traumatic story in detail to a group of other traumatized people; with a cognitive behavioral therapist

3. Journaling on your own by writing

I have personally done cognitive processing CPT and cognitive behavioral therapy with a therapist, and journaling on my own and it has radically improved my life.

I was amazed that journaling worked as well as it did on my own.

Step 2: Retelling and reliving trauma in detail is imperative

The problems why people don't seek help or never improve from trauma is because they:

- Either found the wrong therapist,

- Talked to a friend who does not know what to do,

- Experienced the same amount of fear as they did when they created the actual trauma.

People are too afraid to seek proper help to heal from their trauma.

You need to realize that you need someone who knows what they are doing; to safely transition from the first exercise to the fourth.

Yes, four sessions can be enough.

I did my journaling sessions in three.

But please don't talk to friends or family.

They do not have the training or mental fortitude to give you the help you need.

It is very important to retell your traumatic event in detail; at least four times on different occasions.

The next step is all about reshaping your brain.

Step 3: Relearn and attach positive association

When you've retold the story and associated it with something positive; you will be excited to do the very thing you were so fearful of.

It has to happen in this order for your brain to be retrained; by first speaking in detail on four different occasions.

You are boring yourself with the story.

For each session, you will feel that the fear response is lower and lower.

By the fourth time, it will be boring to tell the story.

Then you will positively retell the story and why it is exciting to do, the very thing, you were so afraid of.

Associate it with something positive is key to success.

The positive will help produce dopamine in the brain which is the chemical in your brain that motivates you to do things.

I've had a trauma since I was a child. The doctor tried to fool me into believing it was raspberry juice in the syringe, and would not hurt.

My first step was to get an injection in my shoulder every week for 4 years to cure my grass allergies.

It worked somewhat.

But now that I draw blood every other month mainly to keep track of my Vitamin D levels; I am excited to see the results and compare them to the worthless guidlines.

I enjoy the nurse inserting a needle into my arm and then waiting for the results.

I'm counting how often it pinches or hurts and how that feeling moves around my body and brain.

It is seldom that it hurts and I have no problem dealing with it since it is not the end of my life.

Remember to:

1. Find a professional cognitive therapist.

2. Retell the traumatic story in detail on four separate occasions.

3. Relearn the traumatic event by associating it with something positive.

That's it!