SERVICES

Rehabilitation psychotherapy

What does rehabilitation psychotherapy involve?

Rehabilitation psychotherapy focuses on an individual’s healing after suffering a severe neurological injury or bodily harm. Recovering from something as traumatic as a spinal injury requires long-term care both physically and psychologically. After sustaining a spinal cord injury, it is typical for patients to develop post-traumatic stress disorder. A spinal cord injury causes motor function decline and loss of sensation, resulting in significant psychological effects. Psychological changes can alter a person’s thinking, mood and ability to persevere, therefore affecting their rehabilitation and recovery. A negative outlook can severely affect your recovery and quality of life.

Full recovery and rehabilitation take a considerable amount of time, considering how severe your injury is and how determined you are to heal completely. One of the psychological repercussions of a spinal cord injury is our ability to fall into depression. We lose sight of our capabilities, strengths and our purpose in life because our injury at this stage takes preference and occupies our thoughts. We lose purpose and begin to think we are useless because we rely on other people to help us recover. Giving away the keys to our independence is not easy, but we cannot afford to fall victim to our circumstances.

Typical signs of depression after a physical injury include:

  • Not eating sufficiently or overeating
  • Insomnia
  • Sleeping too much
  • Hopelessness and sadness
  • Fatigue
  • Difficulty in concentrating

Apart from feeling depressed, if you are a victim of a spinal cord injury, you are likely to experience anxiety.  Some of the signs of anxiety include restlessness, being irritable, developing insomnia and frequently having panic attacks.

How can you benefit from rehabilitation psychotherapy?

Rehabilitation psychotherapy helps reclaim our independence and strength by accepting our situation for what it is and seeking psychological assistance. In time, you will begin to heal physically, emotionally and psychologically.

FAQ

1How do you heal psychologically from an injury?
There are various ways to recover from an injury mentally. Stalling your mental recovery can have devastating effects. Focus on what you can control that will help speed up your recovery. Set achievable goals for yourself so that you can heal sooner than expected. Psychotherapy is essential at this stage to reduce your risk of post-traumatic stress.
2How will psychotherapy help after an injury?
Psychotherapy will assist in dealing with an injury after a confirmed diagnosis and treatment. These therapeutic sessions will reduce the risk or resolve depression accordingly.
3What is rehabilitation therapy?
Rehabilitation therapy offers a controlled and safe environment for you to recover psychologically from a medical illness or injury. Through these sessions, you can talk through issues concerning your injury and heal emotionally from this.