TRAUMA THERAPY
Is A Traumatic Experience Depriving You Of Your Sense Of Peace?
Do you ever feel like your mind and body are silently sounding an alarm despite there being no presence of a threat?
Are you busy battling challenging thoughts or symptoms, or feeling your daily life is disrupted?
Perhaps you are constantly worried about being attacked, injured, or abandoned, and thus, you do not feel safe even in your most intimate relationships.
Or maybe you have come to realize that you have lived with trauma or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for too long, and you are finally ready to address it in the container of counseling with a trained professional. Perhaps you fee disconnected and far away from yourself and want to be more available joy and depth in your life now that you have the gift of relationships with wonderful healthy people. Talk therapy simply doesn’t work for trauma, I lean heavily on eye movement therapies, please read more here.
Trauma And PTSD Can Wear Away At You Day By Day
Over time, the pain of trauma can slowly erode relationships, careers, and physical health in various ways.
For instance, you may be…
irritable, moody, over-reactive, anxious, or depressed.
easily frightened, startled, or moved to anger.
physically exhausted, emotionally depleted, numb, or shut down.
struggling with insomnia, eating right, or focusing. Symptoms like digestive issues, sweaty palms, poor circulation, chronic headaches, or other symptoms that feel like stress-induced reactions.
feeling the urge to hide, pull away, or feeling like avoiding connection with others is always the best answer.
experiencing disruptions in functioning such as symptoms of burn-out, lack of performance at work, lack of interest or struggling to find drive and motivation, appetite challenges, feeling lack of care for things that you know are important to you but feeling emotionally numb, and more.
In the course of time, you may even blame yourself for your emotions, trauma history, and how it affects others.
It is possible to have an ally and a guided process, with a strong container to address your trauma history. With the help of a skilled and compassionate trauma therapist, it is possible to live with greater courage, confidence, and centeredness. Please read more here.
Reach out today!
Trauma And PTSD Affect The Lives Of People Worldwide
Regardless of age, gender, background, or belief system—trauma can affect anyone. Although not everyone who experiences (or witnesses) something traumatic will develop PTSD, painful thoughts, emotions, and memories of that event can compromise nearly every aspect of a person’s life.
Because only a fraction of those affected ever seek treatment, you likely know someone who is silently struggling with trauma or PTSD behind the scenes of their otherwise “normal” life.
Most of us are familiar with the typical causes of trauma, such as:
Severe injuries, accidents, or medical diagnoses
Physical assault, abuse, or combat experience
Loss of a child, spouse, parent, or sibling
However, trauma and PTSD can also result from a string of events or prolonged exposure to toxic environments or stressors, such as childhood neglect, bullying, rejection, public humiliation, or emotional abuse.
Overcoming Trauma Or PTSD Without Help Can Be Very Difficult
Trauma makes it easy to get lost in the whirlwind of negative thoughts and emotions. Our brain and nervous system is simply trying to protect and help us.
The numbness can deprive you of physiological stability, connection, and the drive to move forward. Fear and isolation can slowly erode your emotional support network. Painful reminders, memories, and triggers keep you anchored in the past, unable to actualize change even if you knew how to help yourself feel better.
Fortunately, trauma therapy can help you find clarity amidst the chaos, enabling you to heal and finally move forward with your life. Though it may be hard to believe — it is possible to feel safer, more grounded, and capable of navigating this world with a healthy amount of caution and not debilitating fear or vigilance. Read more here about my approach to trauma work.
Trauma Therapy Offers You The Opportunity To Reclaim Your Life
Most people who are considering counseling for trauma worry that they will become overwhelmed or have to relive the worst moments of their life. My job is to ensure that your trauma recovery process stays tolerable so that it can be digested and integrated, not recapitulated.
Perhaps the most valuable part of trauma therapy is knowing you have someone at your side who will listen and help bear the weight of your experience. In that spirit, it is important that you understand you are not damaged or broken and that the pain you feel can change.
To achieve this, I first want to give you the time and space to share your story. In particular, I would like to know: Has your experience been influencing your relationships? Are there specific reminders or stressors that transport you back into the past? What kind of goals do you have for therapy and what do you ultimately want your life to look like?
Read more about my approach here.
What You Can Expect In Ongoing Sessions
Above all, I would like you to be able to fully express yourself and let your brain show you where you need to go. One of the purposes of therapy is truthfulness. That is why I will teach you valuable coping skills for regulating emotions and ultimately, clearing imprints / sensations / images / distress. Co-regulation work with a therapist is one of the most valuable tools for trauma recovery. If someone is really ready to do significant trauma work, I always utilize eye movement therapies.
Considering that underlying factors may be complicating your experience, we will also explore aspects of your past that can help us develop a treatment plan that is right for you. This could include your upbringing, childhood relationships, teen years, family history of trauma, or even professional experiences. While acknowledging the past is important, an important standard I hold in trauma work is that it should always come from your core and be something you are ready for. Discussing details should always be the choice of the person who had the experience, and knowing there is a space to do that can be powerful.
I know it may be difficult to reach out for help, but you are on the cusp of discovering a new relationship with yourself. You’ll know when the time is right and who the right person is for you.
Intensive Retreats: a wonderful opportunity to establish a foundation, deepen in our time together and prioritize your work with yourself in the most efficient / time sensitive option. Intensive containers are always available for personalized individual work and provide an efficient, power packed container to enhance the benefits of therapeutic work, while prioritizing education and skill building. Intensives are scheduled in a structured container and can be modified to suit your requests / desires. We will sculpt an intensive experience that feels appropriate to you, your needs, goals, and circumstances. Some clients utilize intensive containers to move our process along quicker than a regular psychotherapy container progresses.
Perhaps You Are Considering Trauma Therapy, But You Still Have Some Concerns…
I am worried I will have to talk about my worst memories.
I am ultimately here to support you feeling well. Some people need to share certain things. Others don’t want to, and you don’t have to. The benefit of some of my modalities is there are choices that we can utilize where you never have to talk details.
Therapy is about your personal journey to wholeness,. Whatever path is best for you, I will help you find a direction that puts you on your way to where you want to go. This is a unique and personal process and while there are some things that might be expected, it looks different for everyone. It’s important and helpful to have an experienced facilitator.
I am worried that even a trauma counselor will judge.
First and foremost, our space together is one of non-judgment. We practice curiosity together. Secondly, fear, self-blame, or shame you feel is probably a direct result of the wounds that you have endured. Compassion, spaciousness, and ground gives a place to begin to look at and lightly touch these feelings, with care.
Trauma treatment is not just about moving forward with the future, it’s about clearing, desensitization, and consolidation. This includes a place where your brain and autonomic nervous system heal you, with a non-judgmental guide.
Does trauma therapy really work? Could I not do this on my own?
Trauma and PTSD can change a person on a neurological level. Trying to think your way out of it is like attempting to use a broken compass to find due north in a blizzard. When trauma has jolted your life, it is as if your circuitry has become scrambled and it is a challenge to go anywhere but in circles of self-protection. Trauma counseling and eye movement therapies are an opportunity to change your neural wiring. Most of the time, life is made exponentially easier by working with a professional who has the experience, drive, and capacity to walk you to the other side.
Discover That A New Life Is Within Your Reach
If you are ready to stop carrying the weight of the past and letting it suppress you, trauma therapy can help you discover a new life. I work with clients virtually and in the office. Please feel free to contact me to discuss options.
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