Trauma Therapy
Are You Collapsing Under The Weight Of Unresolved Trauma?
Have you survived a traumatic experience and cannot escape the painful memories? Do your body and mind suffer from involuntary reactions you have no control over? Are you ready to move beyond the fear trapped within and find a positive path forward?
If you’ve suffered trauma, the pain you experienced stays in the physical body. The way trauma affects you may cause you to feel disconnected from your emotions or, conversely, overreact with anger, sadness, or agitation. Maybe the aftermath of trauma makes particular situations you encounter now—such as people, places, smells, or sounds—feel dangerous. And when you feel unsafe, it may trigger unwelcome physical reactions like rapid heartbeat, muscle tension, and shortness of breath that culminate in panic attacks.
Perhaps You Don’t Connect Your Symptoms To Trauma
You may not realize the impact your unresolved trauma is having on you. However, it may be the root cause of your anxiety and depression. If you endured—or were a party to—domestic violence or experienced emotional, physical, sexual abuse or neglect as a child, you might still carry the weight of this trauma into later life. These memories could lead to nightmares, hypervigilance, or intrusive thoughts you cannot control.
Rather than acknowledge what happened to you as the cause of your emotional distress, perhaps you blame yourself instead, concluding you’re inherently broken in some way. This misconception could cause you to struggle to connect with others as well as self-medicate with drugs, alcohol, or other addictive behaviors.
If only you could find self-acceptance and just be content with who you are, your quality of life could improve. Luckily, therapy offers a lifeline to process trauma that’s trapped within your body so you can move beyond the pain and fear.
Trauma Can Be Caused In Many Different Ways
According to the National Council for Behavioral Health, “70 percent of adults in the United States have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives.” [1] Further, it’s estimated that one in five women will be assaulted in their lifetimes. [2] With sexual violence being so commonplace, it’s no wonder anxiety and depression are prevalent mental health disorders.[3]
We have all experienced some form of trauma, whether recently or in childhood. However, because trauma can be caused in various ways, its origins are not always clear. As Gabor Maté says, “Trauma is not what happens to you; trauma is what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you.”
If we didn’t experience something we consider to be highly traumatic—such as a natural disaster, war, or physical and sexual abuse—we may downplay our trauma until it can no longer be ignored. Left untreated, trauma can reach a breaking point, perhaps in the form of multiple panic attacks, a drug or alcohol bender, or a suicide attempt.
Today’s World Is Rife With Trauma
In recent decades, our society has become seeped in traumatic events. For example, due to the unprecedented gun violence happening nationwide, many of us no longer feel safe in our communities. If we’ve survived trauma, reading the headlines can re-trigger us. Additionally, the overturning of Roe vs. Wade has impacted some survivors of sexual assault. The misogynistic direction our society is moving has created pain for many women who now need help.
Therapy offers a systematic method to reprocess trauma so that it no longer remains stuck in your nervous system. Working with a therapist trained in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) can help you release trauma once and for all.
Therapy Offers The Possibility To Heal Your Trauma
If you’ve been afraid to face your trauma until now, we understand your reluctance. However, the mental and physical fallout you suffer won’t go away until you address the trauma underlying it. Whether you have been the victim of sexual violence, child abuse, or any other form of trauma, treatment is the way forward to a life free of the unwelcome symptoms you’re struggling with.
Therapy sessions will be a safe space where you have the freedom to examine any subject you choose without fear of judgment. When you feel ready to tackle a disturbing memory that keeps bringing up unwelcome symptoms like nightmares or flashbacks, we can guide you through a desensitization process that—within a finite timeframe—will allow the memory to fade and no longer affect you. And if you’re not sure why you’re experiencing anxiety or depression, your counselor will help you determine whether unresolved trauma may be the root cause.
What To Expect In Sessions
You will lead each session, deciding what you need help with and allowing us to partner with you to find solutions. During the first few sessions, we will teach you how to be more mindful by offering guided meditations and relaxation techniques that will help quiet your mind. Additionally, the importance of regular exercise and sleep hygiene to optimize your physical and mental well-being will be prioritized.
We may discuss emotional regulation if it’s been challenging for you and assign exercises you can practice at home in between sessions. Keeping a journal by your bed and writing down any dreams you have may help you gain an understanding of what memories your psyche is having trouble processing.
Psychoeducation will be an important component of therapy to better understand how trauma affects the body and mind. Most importantly, your counselor will build rapport and trust with you before addressing trauma. After these initial sessions, you will hopefully feel calmer and ready to try EMDR therapy to address any past or current trauma you are struggling with.
The Modalities We Use
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) uses eye movement or bilateral stimulation to reduce the effect of traumatic memories. By processing them so they become dislodged and regulated by your nervous system, these memories will gradually diminish and stop causing you emotional and physical distress. In addition to EMDR, we may incorporate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Narrative Therapy skills to reinforce healthy emotional regulation. Examining childhood trauma can help you connect how these experiences have influenced your decision-making and intimate relationships as an adult.
Although trauma and PTSD therapy isn’t easy, with the compassionate guidance of a supportive counselor, it’s possible to heal. If you’re considering contacting us, it may be your psyche’s way of letting you know you’re ready to address the unresolved pain trapped inside. But there’s no rush getting there—we will take it slow and follow your lead.
But You May Wonder Whether Trauma Therapy Is Right For You…
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As therapists who have worked with clients who have experienced acute trauma or PTSD, we have found EMDR therapy to be an effective treatment. However, for EMDR to be effective, your body and mind need to be ready. If you begin counseling before you’re open to the process, we will first utilize other modalities to establish a sense of trust and safety with you before moving to EMDR. And if we try EMDR therapy to address your trauma and it doesn’t resonate with you, we have other modalities to choose from.
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Looking at trauma for the first time can be scary. After all, it has likely affected you for a long time, causing various forms of distress. We realize that we can’t rush building trust and rapport with you. Therefore, trauma therapy will always be on your timetable—you will lead each session and your therapist will make sure you are safe and comfortable every step of the way. Whether we use EMDR, DBT, CBT, IFS, narrative therapy, or guided meditation to address your trauma, you will approve everything in advance and your counselor will be happy to explain things more than once.
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With the tools and training your therapist has available to treat trauma and PTSD, you can expect to experience at least a little relief, even after the first session. And if you stick with treatment long enough to neutralize painful memories using EMDR, results addressing trauma can be amazing. If you’re seeking therapy to address PTSD, symptoms caused by childhood trauma, or sexual abuse, you do not have to do this alone. And although your counselor will be there to support and guide you, ultimately you will be the one healing yourself.
You Can Rewrite Your Story And Find Peace Within
Freeing yourself from painful memories can help you turn the page on the past and look toward the future. To schedule a free, 15-minute consultation to learn more about trauma therapy, please contact us.
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