Navigating the stages of PTSD recovery

Recovering from trauma can feel overwhelming, particularly when you live with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). You might wonder if you’ll ever feel like yourself again or whether it’s even possible to move past what happened. But healing from trauma isn’t just about forgetting the experience — it’s about reclaiming your sense of safety, learning to regulate overwhelming emotions, and finding ways to reconnect with yourself and others.

While everyone’s journey through trauma recovery looks different, understanding the stages of healing can be helpful. These stages — first outlined by psychiatrist Dr. Judith Herman — help us understand the importance of building safety, processing the experience, and eventually finding ways to grow and move forward. 

Recovery takes time, but with the right support, it’s possible to rebuild a sense of safety, rediscover your meaning and purpose, and build a life that feels fulfilling.

Three stages of recovery from PTSD

The stages of trauma recovery aren’t defined in official texts like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), nor are they universally implemented across every treatment model. They’re not necessarily linear, and they may not resonate with or apply to every single person who’s experienced trauma. 

These three stages are based on the work of American psychiatrist Judith Herman, who published her book “Trauma and Recovery” in 1992. Although more research is needed to determine how these stages specifically apply to different groups of people, this model is well respected in the mental health community. 

Many evidence-based treatment models — including eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) — take these guidelines into account. For example, EMDR guides therapists to ensure that their clients feel safe and have skills to regulate their emotions before processing any traumatic memories.

The three stages of trauma recovery, according to Dr. Herman’s model, include:

Stage one: Safety and stabilization

In the first stage of trauma recovery, you need to reestablish a basic sense of trust and safety in the world. This can take days, weeks, months, or even years. People who’ve experienced chronic and ongoing trauma, like childhood abuse, may take a longer time to feel safe again.

This partly has to do with physical safety. If you’re in an unsafe environment, it may not be the best time to start processing traumatic memories. For example, if you’re still in an abusive situation, it may be too overwhelming to try to process trauma. Your therapist will prioritize helping you achieve physical safety first before moving into memory processing.

Safety and stability also involve emotional regulation, or how well you’re able to manage your own emotions. Often, when processing traumatic memories, strong emotions will come up. It’s important to know how to deal with them without turning to unhelpful coping mechanisms, like unhealthy substance use or self-harm.* Your therapist might teach you new skills and have you practice them in sessions to prepare you for the next stages of recovery.

This stage is an important reminder that trauma recovery isn’t linear. You may revisit safety over and over again as you work through trauma.

*The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers 24/7 confidential support through trained crisis counselors. If you or someone you care about is experiencing emotional distress, self-harm, or a suicidal crisis, please call or text 988. For life-threatening emergencies or immediate assistance, call 911.

Stage two: Remembrance and mourning

The second stage of trauma recovery, remembrance and mourning, is where you process your story of trauma. Sometimes, depending on the treatment method, this is done in a more structured way. For example, in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, therapists help children and teens create an artistic narrative of the traumatic event (like a storybook or a song).

This stage isn’t only about talking about the traumatic memories. It’s also about processing and restructuring the emotions and unhelpful thought patterns that may have arisen from what happened. 

For example, someone who experienced a sexual assault might have come away with the untrue thought, “It was my fault.” Stage two of trauma recovery is about both processing the memory of what happened and correcting any of these untrue and unhelpful thoughts that may have come out of it.

This stage is also about grief and mourning for the parts of yourself that you feel you may have lost or experiences you may not have had due to the trauma. For example, a survivor of childhood abuse may need to process grief over the loss of a safe and nurturing childhood that they deserved but didn’t get.

It may not be necessary to recount traumatic events in detail. Many people who’ve experienced trauma find it too painful to revisit traumatic memories. Although talking about the trauma can be helpful for many people, this is something you should discuss with your therapist. If you don’t feel ready to talk about the trauma — or if you never want to talk about it at all — that’s your choice to make.

Stage three: Reconnection and integration

The last stage of trauma recovery, reconnection and integration, is about making meaning of what happened and finding a way to move forward. It’s not about forgetting what happened, and it’s not even necessarily about “leaving it in the past.” For many people, it’s about integrating the experience into your life in a way that allows you to continue living a fulfilling life. What happened to you is a part of your story, but it doesn’t define you.

This stage is about finding meaning in your current relationships and activities. For some people, this might involve giving back to others who’ve gone through similar experiences, fostering a sense of purpose and community.

In many ways, this stage is about empowerment and rediscovering your sense of self. You may build new relationships with both yourself and others that reflect your growth and who you are now. You may go out into the world with a newfound sense of strength and have a renewed sense of power and control over your own life.

Working through the PTSD recovery stages

Working through the stages of trauma recovery is best done with the support of a mental health professional. This is because, often, when processing trauma, things can get worse before they get better. This can be particularly true in stage two, as overwhelming and painful emotions may arise when you’re moving through the memories of the traumatic event. A trauma-informed therapist is trained to prepare you to confront these emotions while keeping you emotionally secure.

If you don’t currently have access to a therapist, it may be helpful to focus on the first stage of trauma recovery and try to build some safety for yourself. This could include ensuring physical safety and finding ways to distance yourself from the traumatic situation if you’re still in it. 

For example, if you’re in an abusive situation, consider what steps you might take to keep yourself as safe as possible. Do you have a plan for safety or trusted people you can reach out to when you’re in danger? Local resources, hotlines, or shelters may also be valuable supports to explore during this time.

This stage can also involve learning how to better regulate your emotions. Think about how you cope with painful memories and emotions now. If you tend to use unhelpful coping mechanisms, like self-harm or substance use, think about skills you might be able to replace those behaviors with. For example, you might learn deep-breathing techniques, reach out to supportive friends, or get some exercise.

It’s generally not recommended to go through stage two of trauma recovery on your own or with an unqualified listener. This is because revisiting traumatic memories can bring up a lot of painful emotions. Depending on the listener’s reactions and your sense of emotional safety, you might become overwhelmed by these emotions and even put yourself at risk of re-experiencing trauma.

How long does it take to fully recover from PTSD?

There’s no clear answer on how long it takes to fully recover from PTSD and other trauma disorders. Some people — especially those who experience an acute traumatic event — may recover quickly without developing long-lasting symptoms or needing treatment. Others — particularly those who’ve endured chronic or severe trauma — may take months or even years to recover.

The length of time it takes to heal from trauma isn’t an indicator of your strength. Different people process trauma in different ways. Although everyone’s journey is unique, working with a therapist can help you move through the stages of recovery more quickly.

Once you’ve started to recover from trauma, you might notice that you:

• Feel more emotionally regulated and able to manage overwhelming feelings
• Are able to reflect on the trauma without re-experiencing it
• Feel safer in the world and less hypervigilant about potential dangers
• Are able to form stronger and more fulfilling relationships
• Experience more positive emotions and feel hopeful about the future
• Start to recognize strengths in yourself that you may not have noticed before
• Find a renewed sense of purpose and direction in your life
• Feel more connected to others and less isolated by your experiences
• Develop a greater appreciation for the small joys in life that you may have overlooked before
• Begin to trust yourself more and are able to make decisions with confidence and clarity
• Learn to set boundaries that protect your energy and well-being
• Feel inspired to pursue activities or goals that bring meaning and fulfillment to your life

Find care with Rula

Healing from trauma is a journey that takes time, patience, and support, but you don’t have to face it alone. By working with a qualified therapist, you can get the space you need to navigate the stages of recovery from trauma in an emotionally safe way and find meaning in your life again. Through Rula, 120 million people are eligible to receive therapy covered by insurance. And using our therapist-matching platform, you can see a therapist via live video as soon as tomorrow.

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