Trauma Therapy Services
Trauma Therapy Services
Trauma therapy, also known as trauma informed therapy or trauma counseling, is a form of psychotherapy specific to the unique symptoms and circumstances of trauma.
Because traumatic experiences are intensely overwhelming, our nervous systems can hold onto the trauma – almost like getting trapped in the moment. The mind replays the traumatic experience over and over again and our bodies continue to feel the physical symptoms that happened during the event. Until a traumatic experience has been processed, our senses continue to be stuck in a traumatized loop.
As a result, trauma can lead to intrusive symptoms and emotional triggers that can have a long-lasting and far-reaching impact on an individual’s well-being. People who are coping with the symptoms of a traumatic experience often feel on edge and constantly unsafe. Especially for individuals with PTSD or complex PTSD, managing day-to-day tasks can be extremely difficult.
The goal of trauma therapy
Trauma therapy utilizes Polyvagal Theory, Constructed Awareness (CA), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and other evidence-based modalities to help you process the traumatic memory/memories, heal your dysregulated nervous system, and regain psychological well-being. Once the brain has reconciled a traumatic experience, the symptoms of trauma may either resolve completely or be significantly less intense. Ultimately, the goal of trauma therapy is to help your brain process and resolve the trauma being stored in your body so you can heal and go on to live a fulfilling life the way you want.
Symptoms of trauma
One of the most common symptoms of trauma is difficulty sleeping. Many people who have experienced trauma find it difficult to fall asleep and when they do, they are awakened or troubled by nightmares. Flashbacks are common and it may feel like you are reliving the event over and over. Trauma symptoms feel highly intrusive and can impact your ability to manage daily life well. Individuals coping with severe trauma may especially find relationships triggering and may respond to common interactions with more anger and aggression than appropriate.
- Difficulty concentrating
- Problems sleeping
- Low energy
- Easily startled
- Heart racing
- Agitated
- Increased aches and pain
- Muscle tension
- Unexplained illnesses
- Impulsive
In addition to physical symptoms, trauma can wreak havoc on your mind and emotional health. People who have experienced trauma often experience some of these thoughts:
- How could this have happened to me?
- Why didn’t I do something to stop it?
- Did this really happen?
- I am confused.
- There is no way this could have happened to me.
- I’m so angry.
- I am afraid.
- I feel like it’s my fault.
- I’m ashamed.
- I will never move past this.
How Does trauma therapy work?
In a trauma therapy session, we don’t rely on one specific therapeutic modality. Diverse therapy techniques including EMDR, Constructed Awareness, and other experiential techniques are included to accommodate the unique symptoms trauma can cause. The multi-disciplinary techniques used in trauma therapy work to help you process the trauma, reconnect with your body, and calm your nervous system.
Trauma therapy interventions are largely guided by Polyvagal Theory – a therapy model that explains how and why trauma impacts the nervous system the way it does. With Polyvagal Theory as a guiding foundation, trauma therapy helps you process your traumatic memories by reconnecting your nervous system with your brain.
How is trauma therapy different from normal therapy?
Our brains have a remarkable ability to process distressing circumstances, but when trauma occurs, the brain’s cognitive capability is overwhelmed. Psychological intervention is often needed to help our brains understand and process trauma so that it can resume normal psychological development and cognitive functioning.
While standard forms of talk therapy such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can be highly beneficial for many mental illnesses, trauma is stored in the body. Thus, to heal from trauma, we must go deeper than traditional talk therapy by working with your physical senses. Through experiential interventions such as EMDR and other somatic therapy exercises, trauma therapy allows you to come out of survival mode by healing your nervous system and reconnecting your brain with your body.
Is trauma therapy right for me?
Considering EMDR?
EMDR is one of the most effective treatments for trauma and PTSD. If you’ve tried talk therapy and still don’t feel the mental or physical relief you need to feel safe in your body again, then EMDR may be a good next step. EMDR is an evidence-based form of trauma therapy that has proven to be highly beneficial for resolving past trauma and neutralizing symptoms of PTSD. As a Certified EMDR therapist, I’ve seen first-hand the relief and resolution that EMDR treatment can help bring about.
Benefits of trauma therapy sessions
Trauma therapy benefits:
- Improved sleep
- Less chronic pain
- Restored connection to self
- Improved sense of well-being
- Neutralize emotional triggers
- Stop flashbacks
- Healed nervous system
- Greater inner peace
- Less depression and anxiety
- More fulfilling relationships
Achieve deeper restoration
There is no need to work through your trauma alone. If you would like to learn more about how trauma therapy can help you on your healing journey, please contact me. Helping people reclaim their inner peace is what I do. I will be happy to schedule a complementary phone consultation.
Trauma affects the entire human organism – body, mind, and brain. In PTSD, the body continues to defend against a threat that belongs to the past.
Bessel van Der Kolk