How Voice Dialogue Therapy Heals Trauma

Mitchel Eisenstein, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist who works with individuals via telehealth services from his East Setauket, New York, practice.

Voice dialogue therapy is one of the many tools Mitchel uses to help individuals overcome trauma and its influence on their current and future decisions and life goals.

Read more about the basics of trauma and how voice dialogue therapy can help you heal.

What’s voice dialogue therapy?

Imagine there's a whole cast of characters inside you – your inner critic, your vulnerable child, your protector, etc. Voice dialogue therapy (VDT) is like meeting with all these parts of yourself.

The goal is to allow each part to have a voice, help you understand these inner selves, recognize their roles, and find a balance between them. During a VDT session, Mitchel might ask you to speak from the perspective of a specific self.

For instance, if you’re anxious about an upcoming work event, your inner protector might encourage you to stay home and stay safe, even though attending may enhance your career options.

Voicing these concerns helps uncover hidden conflicts and raises awareness about how these inner voices influence your behavior and emotions.

How can VDT help with trauma?

When it comes to trauma, people often develop protective selves to cope with the pain. This inner voice can be instrumental in helping you avoid risky situations. However, it might also limit personal growth if it becomes too dominant.

The goal of VDT is to increase self-awareness and gain knowledge of how to balance protectiveness with the freedom to heal.

Say, for instance, someone experienced trauma that made them anxious in social situations. In a VDT session, they might discover a strong inner protector who avoids social settings to keep them safe.

Dialoguing with this inner voice might reveal that while the protector has good intentions, it also prevents them from forming meaningful relationships. The goal then becomes finding other inner voices that encourage safe, gradual social engagement.

Benefits of voice dialogue therapy

Usually used in combination with other psychotherapy modalities, the benefits of VDT include:

Identifying your protective mechanisms

VDT can help you understand how various aspects of your self-talk hold you back from healing. For example, your inner critic might be harsh because it’s trying to prevent you from making mistakes and getting hurt again.

Processing and releasing emotions

Trauma often involves buried emotions. During VDT, you can process these emotions in a safe environment by giving voice to the hurt.

Integrating the experience

Instead of being overwhelmed by traumatic memories, you learn to integrate these experiences into your broader sense of self. That means acknowledging the trauma without letting it define you.

Empowering yourself

VDT helps you see the many resources within you. By balancing the voices of your different selves, you can find more adaptive ways to handle stress and navigate the world.

VDT is particularly useful for people who struggle with inner criticism or have difficulty understanding their emotions. However, it's essential to work with a trained therapist who can guide the process safely, especially when dealing with trauma.

Schedule a virtual visit with Mitchel Eisenstein, LCSW, today by calling the office or requesting an appointment online.