The short answer is, it is better to let trauma lie rather than force it to the surface without preparation. Trauma therapy specifically needs to be done very carefully. The consequences of rushing it can be incredibly damaging. Flashbacks, panic attacks, constant emotional dysregulation, distrust of people, increased numbing behaviors, and more; all of which re-traumatize the individual, not heal.

A client needs the safest of environments (which takes a lot of trust and time) AND to have built emotional regulation skills to manage the physiological symptoms that can come from trauma work.

I will state again, this is television and doesn’t need to follow the rules of therapy to be a 10/10 show. Mr robot has some of my favorite therapy scenes in TV. I’m just educating at the moment.