trauma
trauma
When something impactful or painful has happened, it can be devastating. Trauma has a cruel way of seeping into all areas of your life and leaving you feeling either like a raw nerve. Perhaps you know trauma’s marks all too well: difficulty trusting, feeling removed from others, intense emotional responses, difficulty managing relationships, and a general feeling of being unsafe. These are all flags that there is trauma to be addressed.
Some trauma are events that are dramatic and overwhelming, such as abuse, an accident, or the loss of a loved one. Other times, it is more subtle but has a powerful, wounding impact. No matter what the event, it has changed everything. Yet hope remains. Something painful happened to you, but it does not have to define who you are or determine the quality of your life.
Treatment
It is not about fixing; it is about healing. We cannot erase the past but it does not have to define you or be a shadow dampening the quality of your life. Some of our efforts may include:
- Ensuring safety: if there is a crisis or a dangerous situation, that will be addressed first. This may include developing boundaries that protect your physical, mental, and emotional needs.
- Developing coping strategies: diving into painful experiences can be overwhelming without proper tools. To better equip you, we will both build on resources you have and introduce new options.
- Addressing hypervigilance: various methods will be used to help calm down the nervous system, ending the constant state of being on high alert.
- Moving the story out of the shadows: armed with enough tools and support, you will no longer need to protect yourself through minimizing or stuffing. Instead, it will be possible to face your trauma one step at a time.
Because trauma impacts the body, I utilize approaches like EMDR and Gestalt therapy to deliver evidence-based, experiential treatment. This ensures our work leads to long-lasting resolution. In time, the commitment and work we do together will be an immeasurable gift that will have long reaching impacts which you may not even know are possible.
