Trauma and PTSD

What is trauma?

Trauma is a person’s response to a deeply distressing or disturbing event that overwhelms their ability to effectively cope, leading to unwanted and sometimes life-altering responses.

Have you, or has someone close to you, experienced a deeply distressing or disturbing experience(s)?

Maybe you had an unexpected loss, difficult relationship, painful childhood, social rejection, humiliation, loss of control, physical or emotional injury, abuse or assault, or any number of such experiences.

Perhaps someone close to you experienced a traumatic event. You may have been unprepared as you received the news or potentially witnessed it.

Maybe you experienced trauma as a child. Childhood trauma may affect how we experience life events and relationships as we grow older. When childhood trauma is coupled with present-day trauma, it may significantly exasperate your pain and wounds.

Trauma can affect every aspect of your life…

… emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. It may affect how you move through your day-to-day experiences, as you may feel overwhelmed, sad, angry, frightened, and confused.

There are many factors that contribute to how you experience and manage traumatic events, as well as how quickly you are able to heal and recover from them. All people experience and manage their traumas differently, depending on a wide variety of factors.

These are some of the symptoms of unresolved trauma in your life:

Anxiety, phobias, or obsessions…

Distorted thinking or difficulty controlling your thoughts…

Isolation from people and places…

Overwhelming sadness and depressive symptoms…

Difficulty with relationships, connecting with others, and intimacy issues…

Difficulty controlling your emotions: feeling “triggered,” overreacting, “blowing up,” or acting aggressively…

Feeling outside of your body or emotionally numb…

Changes in sleep, nightmares, or fear of going to bed…

Increased or decreased appetite…

… or re-living or experiencing the memory or feeling as though the memory is happening all over again.

If you are finding yourself consistently emotionally charged and struggling to move forward with your life, trauma treatment may be life-changing for you.

I can help you move forward with life after trauma…

I believe in a multi-dimensional approach to treating trauma and PTSD.

Each individual and story is unique; therefore, treatment is personalized and not based off a one-size-fits-all model. We typically begin by learning new coping strategies, such as mindfulness, deep breathing, and resourcing surrounding positive experiences and people to help when you feel overwhelmed, scared, or triggered.

We may work through your trauma through EMDR or somatic interventions in order to help you clear and alleviate lingering pain. EMDR helps you to use both your mind and body to change your perception of past trauma and to remove your triggers surrounding painful memories.

Additionally, somatic interventions help you focus on releasing the trauma that has built up in your body. Since the pain in trauma is held in the body, these comprehensive mind-body and clinically proven approaches bring significant relief.

We may also work together to modify the thoughts that lead to painful emotions and body reactions (stomachaches, headaches, etc.).

I will help you learn about your thought processes…

… in order to understand why certain people, environments, and situations create feelings of being out of control, fearful, or tense.

I will support you to reframe your thoughts to feel calmer and increase security in your day-to-day life.

Additionally, one of the other great approaches to healing from trauma involves mindfulness. As mentioned above, mindfulness practices teach you to center your mind and remain in the present moment instead of dwelling on painful memories, triggers, or uncertainties about the future.

Mindfulness interventions are especially supportive while healing from trauma, as they work to relieve pain stored in the body and mind.

It is scary and vulnerable to address trauma and face our past.

I will help you through the healing process in a gentle and supportive way.

If you are ready to clear the persistent effects of trauma and find lasting peace, contact me to schedule your free phone consultation.

I am happy to answer your questions, address your concerns, and discuss how trauma therapy can help you move forward.

Reach out today: (720) 254-3085