Trauma Therapy
Is Unresolved Trauma Keeping You From Your Potential?
Do you struggle with the psychological, physical, and emotional effects of trauma? No matter how much you try to forget or suppress what you experienced or witnessed, do the troubling memories never seem to fade? Or are you unsure that it’s trauma, but suspect the struggles in your life come from somewhere deep inside that you haven’t yet examined?
Living with unresolved trauma takes an immense toll on your well-being, causing intrusive memories and a misdirected sense of guilt. Even though you may have gotten on with your life—attempting to stay busy and immerse yourself in predictable routines—these distractions may seem hollow and don’t come close to addressing the underlying problem.
Whether you experienced trauma firsthand or were a witness to a traumatic event, the impact can be profound. Perhaps you lose focus easily, never feel relaxed, or have difficulty staying in the present moment. Or perhaps certain relationships, places, or people make you feel a way that doesn't logically make sense.
Even Though You’re Suffering, You May Have Put Off Healing Or Not Understand The Cause
To protect yourself from further emotional pain, or if you’re unaware of your trauma, you might self-isolate, avoiding certain people or experiences that you associate with your trauma. Feeling defensive and on edge, you may sink into negative mindsets that spur you to engage in emotionally numbing or self-destructive behaviors.
Sadly, you might have delayed getting help due to embarrassment or denial, not yet coming to terms with the widespread effects trauma has had on you. You may wish that you could stop blaming yourself for what happened and find the right support to heal.
Trauma therapy can unlock the door to a new sense of self. With an array of evidence-based approaches available, the right treatment can help you overcome trauma and PTSD symptoms so that you can embody your life to the fullest.
Trauma Is A Common Human Experience With Far-Reaching Effects
Trauma is a pervasive problem that lies at the root of many mental health disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Whereas PTSD symptoms can become so intense that, when triggered, we may feel like we’re re-experiencing a disturbing incident, unresolved trauma can feel more like a dull, psychic pain that continually aches in the background.
What’s more, “Big T” traumas, associated with life-threatening experiences such as active combat, rape, and natural disasters are what we usually think of as trauma. However, in childhood, many more of us experience subtler forms of “little t” trauma that can cause a similar physiological response. “Little t” trauma can be caused by emotional neglect, verbal abuse, and absentee parents.
The Trauma Playbook: Downplay, Diminish, And Minimize
Trauma is a disruption to our nervous system that we can't adjust for. It changes our physiological state because we can't integrate the impact of a traumatic experience into our memory and our body can't recover. This disruption triggers the fight-flight-freeze-fawn response where we may lash out (fight), walk or run away (flight), avoid or deny (freeze), or downplay or minimize its importance (fawn).
Sadly, trauma is commonly underreported due to the stigma surrounding it and because our society throws the term around so much that it loses its gravity. The natural defense mechanisms that often kick in—avoidance and denial—cause many trauma survivors to remain quiet rather than share their experiences. What many survivors don’t realize is that the only way for us to move past the pain is to ultimately acknowledge and process our trauma.
Whether you have trauma or PTSD resulting from sexual assault, childhood abuse, domestic violence, or combat, counseling can help you come to terms with what happened and find ways to reconcile the disturbing memories so they no longer cause distress.
With Therapy, You Can Process Your Trauma And Rewrite Your Story
It may have taken you a while to realize that what you experienced was trauma and that it’s still affecting how you think, feel, and act. Or maybe you haven’t recognized your experience as trauma but have observed patterns that consistently place you in a threatened state. You may have tried to get over what happened on your own by avoiding the people, places, and things that remind you of what happened, only to discover that thoughts, memories, and physical sensations still haunt you.
But even if you’ve put off seeking help, it’s never too late to receive effective treatment for trauma or PTSD. Trauma-informed counseling and CBT offer a safe and trusting environment where a caring and empathetic therapist will see and hear you. Moving at your pace, you will gather the help you need to improve your quality of life.
What To Expect In Sessions
Initially, we will examine how you are currently impacted by trauma and create achievable goals to help you regain function in your daily life. We will start by addressing little things that have the potential to derail your day and gradually work our way up to bigger issues as you gain comfort and confidence.
Once you feel ready, we will trace back and process whatever traumatic events underlie your current distress. The goal will be not to forget these events entirely, but to transform them into memories that are less distressing, more manageable, and emotionally integrated in a way that promotes wellness and healing.
Based upon your unique needs, trauma and PTSD counseling may include:
Understanding the science that underlies trauma and the role the brain and body play;
Teaching coping skills that reduce symptoms and build up resilience;
Fostering self-compassion and empowerment;
Learning how to combat emotional overwhelm and dysregulation;
Reducing avoidance behaviors that keep you stuck;
How to keep purpose and authentic higher self in mind.
I Offer Holistic Therapy To Address Trauma In Body And Mind
Therapy focuses on helping you process and make sense of traumatic memories to reduce emotional distress and daily life disruptions. Utilizing evidence-based treatments—like Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and narrative therapy—as well as teaching the principles of neuropsychology provides you with a well-rounded approach to addressing trauma and PTSD.
TF-CBT is a therapy that focuses on restructuring cognitive distortion—that is, identifying and reframing negative thoughts and beliefs associated with trauma that are neither accurate nor helpful—to help you overcome displaced shame and guilt. Narrative therapy for trauma helps you externalize what happened and reconstruct a new story that’s empowering and in alignment with your strengths and values so that you will be known to yourself and no longer defined by trauma.
Trauma is persistent and enduring because it’s experienced in both mind and body, making it impossible to simply forget or ignore. In therapy, you will receive psychoeducation about the neurobiology behind trauma so you will better understand the triggers that send your body into the fight-flight-freeze-or-fawn response and learn coping skills to soothe your nervous system.
Working with a therapist, you can gain the strength and resilience to heal from past trauma and PTSD. With each session, you are one step closer to reclaiming your sense of safety, well-being, and wholeness.
But Maybe You’re Not Sure If Trauma Therapy Is Right For You…
I’m concerned that once I start therapy for trauma and PTSD, it will go on indefinitely.
The duration of treatment varies depending on your needs, namely the nature of your trauma and the types of PTSD symptoms you are experiencing. For example, therapy related to sexual abuse or childhood trauma can range from a few months to years, with many clients experiencing significant improvements within months of consistent therapy.
How soon will I be expected to talk about my trauma in therapy?
As your counselor, it's my job to ensure you feel safe and comfortable before discussing any of the details surrounding your trauma or PTSD—therefore, treatment will always be conducted at your pace. Effective trauma and PTSD counseling should never retraumatize you. Rather, it’s designed to help you process and manage distressing memories in a safe and controlled manner. Before delving into any details, you will first learn techniques that help regulate and soothe your nervous system.
How do I know that what I experienced was trauma and if therapy will even be helpful?
Trauma is unique to the person who experienced it. However, if your daily life is impacted by an experience or relationship that you feel stuck in and can’t get over or reconcile, then you are likely suffering from trauma. While there’s never a guarantee counseling will benefit you, entering the therapeutic experience with vulnerability, courage, and openness will directly impact the success of trauma and PTSD treatment.
Make Today The Day You Decide To Take Your Life Back
There’s no reason to put off getting help any longer. To find out more about trauma therapy at Be Known Wellness Group, email, call 857-505-1856, or visit our contact page to schedule a free 15-minute call.
[1] https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_adults.asp#:~:text
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