Hypnotherapy and PTSD Healing with DeTrauma Technique (DTT)™ | QHHT Perth Hypnosis with Elena

Fenu Elena
Nov 8, 2025
7 min read

Updated: Dec 16, 2025

Understanding Different Types of Trauma

Trauma can be classified into various categories. These classifications depend on several factors, including the nature of the traumatic event, the developmental stage of the individual, and the duration and severity of the trauma. Here are some common classifications of trauma:

Acute Trauma

Acute trauma refers to a single traumatic event or a series of events that occur within a short timeframe. Examples include natural disasters, accidents, physical assaults, or witnessing violence. Acute trauma can have immediate and intense effects on individuals. It often leads to a strong stress response and may develop into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Complex Trauma

Complex trauma involves prolonged and repetitive traumatic experiences. These typically occur during childhood or within relationships characterized by power imbalances and chronic victimization. It includes multiple interpersonal traumatic events, such as physical or sexual abuse, neglect, or prolonged exposure to domestic violence. Complex trauma can result in significant and long-lasting psychological, emotional, and relational difficulties. It is often associated with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD).

Developmental Trauma

Developmental trauma refers to traumatic experiences that occur during critical periods of a person's development, such as early childhood or adolescence. These experiences profoundly impact an individual's psychological, cognitive, and social development. Developmental trauma can disrupt attachment, self-regulation, and interpersonal functioning. It may contribute to long-term emotional and behavioral difficulties.

Vicarious Trauma

Vicarious trauma, also known as secondary trauma or compassion fatigue, occurs when individuals repeatedly expose themselves to others' traumatic experiences. This is common among healthcare professionals, first responders, or therapists. They may experience trauma-related symptoms themselves. This type of trauma can manifest as emotional distress, intrusive thoughts, or a diminished sense of well-being.

Historical or Intergenerational Trauma

Historical or intergenerational trauma refers to trauma passed down through generations. This often results from systemic or collective experiences of violence, oppression, or cultural trauma. Communities or specific cultural or ethnic groups may experience this type of trauma. It can have a lasting impact on their collective identity, beliefs, and behaviors.

The DeTrauma Technique (DTT)™ Helps Release Trauma

If you’re reading this, you may be navigating the aftermath of a traumatic event or living with symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In your journey toward healing, you may have heard about therapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or EMDR. But what about hypnotherapy for PTSD?

What is PTSD and Why Does It Persist?

PTSD arises after exposure to a traumatic event, such as actual or threatened death, serious injury, or sexual violence. Symptoms often include intrusive memories, nightmares, avoidance of reminders, negative mood and cognitions, and heightened arousal. Even long after the event, the brain and nervous system can remain “wired” into a state of threat. This makes everyday life feel unsafe and draining.

Traditional talk therapies address many of these features. However, the subconscious mind and the body’s nervous system responses often hold onto the trauma in ways that conscious talk cannot fully access. This is where hypnotherapy and trauma-informed approaches become powerful. They can facilitate access to deeper layers of memory, belief, habit, and body response. This support helps integrate the trauma from a different vantage point.

Healing PTSD with Hypnotherapy and the DeTrauma Technique (DTT)™

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can deeply affect how a person feels, thinks, and experiences the world. While trauma may leave lasting imprints on the nervous system, modern approaches like Hypnotherapy and the DeTrauma Technique (DTT)™ offer profound and lasting relief.

Understanding Trauma and the Brain

Trauma doesn’t just live in our memories; it imprints itself in the body and the brain. Studies have shown that trauma can alter neural activity, stress responses, and even emotional regulation systems. Bremner et al. (2010) found functional brain imaging alterations in patients treated for trauma-related conditions. This reveals how deeply mind-body interactions affect recovery.

These findings help us recognize the importance of addressing both the conscious and subconscious levels of the mind when treating trauma. Hypnotherapy and the DeTrauma Technique (DTT)™ are uniquely equipped to do this.

Why This Approach Works: Bridging Brain, Body, and Mind

As mentioned earlier, trauma is not just “in the mind”; it lives in the body, nervous system, and neural networks. When someone experiences a traumatic event, the brain’s threat-response systems can become “locked” in a loop of intrusion, avoidance, hyper-arousal, and dysregulation. Hypnosis offers a unique doorway into that system:

In trance, the brain’s subconscious becomes more accessible. This enables therapeutic suggestions, imagery, and resources to reach deeper layers of experience.
Trauma-informed hypnosis supports nervous-system regulation. It helps move from freeze/flight/fight towards rest, regulation, and integration.
Meta-analyses show that hypnotherapy produces large effect sizes for PTSD symptom reduction. The effects tend to be stable over time.
When combined with CBT, resource-building, and trauma-informed frameworks, hypnotherapy becomes even more powerful. The Bryant et al. study shows that this combination reduces re-experiencing and avoidance more than standard care.

By integrating body, brain, and mind through the DeTrauma Technique, you benefit from a holistic pathway. This pathway honors the depth of trauma, creates safety, and fosters transformation.

Hypnotherapy for PTSD: What Research Shows

A growing body of evidence supports the effectiveness of hypnotherapy for PTSD and trauma recovery. A meta-analysis by Rotaru & Rusu (2015) found that hypnosis significantly alleviates PTSD symptoms. The review analyzed 47 studies and revealed strong and lasting effects, including stability at 4-week and even 12-month follow-ups. The authors concluded that hypnosis appears to be effective in alleviating PTSD symptoms, supporting its integration into trauma-focused therapeutic care.

Another important study by Bryant et al. (2005, 2006) explored how combining Hypnotherapy with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) produced better outcomes for patients with acute stress disorder. Over a 3-year follow-up, those who received CBT and Hypnosis reported significantly less re-experiencing and avoidance symptoms compared to those receiving supportive counselling.

Patients who received CBT and CBT/hypnosis reported less re-experiencing and less avoidance symptoms than patients who received supportive counselling. These findings point to the long-term benefits of early provision of CBT in the initial month after trauma. They support the integration of Hypnotherapy as a complementary treatment for trauma. This helps clients not only process memories but also rebuild a sense of safety and empowerment.

How the DeTrauma Technique (DTT)™ Enhances Healing

The DeTrauma Technique (DTT)™ offers a structured and compassionate way to process traumatic imprints without re-traumatization. It focuses on calming the nervous system and helping the subconscious reorganize distressing experiences into resolution.

By combining this with Hypnotherapy, clients can safely access and release the emotional charge associated with trauma. They can also reinforce new patterns of calm and resilience.

At QHHT Perth Hypnosis with Elena, I have found that integrating the DeTrauma Technique (DTT)™ within hypnotherapy sessions allows clients to feel grounded, supported, and empowered throughout their healing journey. This integrative process helps to:

Reduce emotional reactivity and flashbacks
Improve sleep and relaxation
Rebuild inner safety and confidence
Restore balance between mind, body, and spirit

The combination of Hypnotherapy and the DeTrauma Technique (DTT)™ provides a deeply transformative pathway for those seeking relief from trauma and PTSD. By working directly with the subconscious mind and calming the nervous system, clients can gradually release the past. They can restore emotional balance and move forward with renewed strength and peace.

Who Can Benefit and When to Consider Hypnotherapy for PTSD?

Hypnotherapy with the DeTrauma Technique may be particularly helpful for you if:

You experience intrusive memories, nightmares, flashbacks, avoidance, or hyper-arousal linked to trauma.
You find talk therapy alone is not accessing the deeper layers of your trauma, or you feel “stuck” in a trauma loop.
You are able to establish safety, trust, and willingness to engage in hypnotic and imagery-based work.
You are working with a trained, trauma-informed hypnotherapist (not all hypnosis is suitable for trauma).
You understand that healing often involves regulating the nervous system, not just changing your thinking.

If you are ready to begin your journey of healing from trauma, contact QHHT Perth Hypnosis with Elena to explore how Hypnotherapy and the DeTrauma Technique (DTT)™ can support your recovery.

**qhhtelena.com.au**

Hypnotherapist & Counsellor

Perth, WA 6050

References

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Bremner, J. D., et al. (2010). Functional brain imaging alterations in patients with trauma-related conditions. Biological Psychiatry, 68(11), 1023–1031. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.07.018
Bryant, R. A., Moulds, M. L., Nixon, R. D. V., Mastrodomenico, J., Felmingham, K., & Hopwood, S. (2005). The additive benefit of hypnosis and cognitive-behavioral therapy in the treatment of acute stress disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(2), 334–340. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.73.2.334
Bryant, R. A., Moulds, M. L., Nixon, R. D. V., Mastrodomenico, J., Felmingham, K., & Hopwood, S. (2006). Hypnotherapy and cognitive behaviour therapy of acute stress disorder: A 3-year follow-up. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 44(9), 1331–1335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2005.04.007
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