Trauma Therapy
Has a particularly difficult or painful experience altered the course of your life?
If you have experienced trauma, you might find yourself with decreased functioning in life, really struggling to show up for school, work, or important relationships. You might have less stress tolerance or resilience for seemingly normal experiences. You might also be affected by trauma triggers, becoming overwhelmed, flooded or feeling unsafe in moments that remind you of your traumatic experience. Your nervous system may be stuck in a hypervigilant or numb state, or you may alternate between the two. You may be haunted by flashbacks or constant reminders of what happened. It is hard enough to have survived what you experienced, but now the ripple effects of the trauma are affecting every other part of your life!
Have you ever thought, "If I could just erase this experience from my life, I could live my life as I had always planned?"
We don't have a magic eraser to use to eliminate the pain you have experienced, but we have a lot of healing options to help you recover from your traumatic experience and live a wholehearted and meaningful life.
How Common Are Traumatic Experiences?
According to the National Center for PTSD, about 60% of men and 50% of women experience at least one trauma in their lives. The mental health impact after a traumatic experience can differ from person to person, and is related to existing stressors, any ongoing traumatic factors, biological factors, societal factors, support received around the time of the trauma, and so much more. We believe every person deserves to thrive, regardless of what they have experienced.
Trauma Therapy to Help Clients Exhale, Heal and Thrive
We as a team of therapists believe strongly that healing and recovering from traumatic experiences is possible. We have a compassionate and sensitive approach to working with trauma survivors. We work from a number of healing modalities or protocols, and all have the intent to establish a felt sense of safety, to connect with important resources and to protect the client's wellbeing as we work together to process the traumatic experience.
Our team works with an understanding that trauma affects the physical body through nervous system responses. We first work to understand how your traumatic experience has been interpreted in your nervous system. You might have become hyper-vigilant or hyper-aroused as the result of your traumatic experience. Some know this as the fight or flight response--it is our nervous system gearing up to help us move fast to avoid harm. Hypervigilance shows up as a lot of nervous energy, causing feelings of anxiety, irritability and anger. When we get stuck in a hypervigilant or hyperaroused state, we can have trouble resting, have racing thoughts, and big powerful emotions.
You may have become hypo-aroused as the result of your traumatic experience. This is the alternative nervous system response, and represents the freeze or fall-down response. In this state, you might find yourself feeling shut down, numb or disconnected from yourself or others. There is a strong lack of energy in this nervous system response and it can appear similar to depression. You may have found yourself in this state after an extended period of hyper-arousal and then nervous system exhaustion. When we get stuck in a hypoaroused state, we may be isolating from our relationships, fail to show up to work or school, or generally give up on life.
Our goal is to help clients establish a strong sense of safety and agency after their traumatic experience. We work with the nervous system response that happens with each client, helping them expand the "window of tolerance" and feel more centered and balanced again. The healing modalities utilized by our team include EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Polyvagal Trauma Treatment, Trauma-Focused CBT, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and more. Feel free to ask about how each therapist on our team might approach trauma healing for your unique circumstances.
Common Concerns about Beginning Trauma Therapy
Trauma survivors may find themselves avoiding therapy for a number of reasons. One of the most common reason being they are afraid they will become completely overwhelmed by facing their trauma. They may have a strong protective response against opening up those memories out of a fear of being traumatized all over again. Additionally, they may have experienced additional harm when people have not received them with compassion or understanding and may struggle to trust others with the most vulnerable parts of their story.
We understand how much courage and vulnerability it takes to seek help from a professional and to trust someone new with these really painful experiences. We hold this trust very carefully and with high regard as we work with our clients. We believe that trauma healing requires a gentle touch, the right pace and skillful interventions so that our clients do not get overwhelmed and re-traumatized. We believe that it is very difficult to heal when we are overwhelmed and work to keep clients grounded and centered. Time and again, we have helped clients gently and compassionately face their trauma, process through the difficult memories and emotions, and rise above their traumatic experiences. We love to see clients experience the freedom of moving through their trauma and start to live wholehearted lives again!
Call today to discuss your unique circumstances and to get connected with a skilled and compassionate therapist on our team!
If you have experienced trauma, you might find yourself with decreased functioning in life, really struggling to show up for school, work, or important relationships. You might have less stress tolerance or resilience for seemingly normal experiences. You might also be affected by trauma triggers, becoming overwhelmed, flooded or feeling unsafe in moments that remind you of your traumatic experience. Your nervous system may be stuck in a hypervigilant or numb state, or you may alternate between the two. You may be haunted by flashbacks or constant reminders of what happened. It is hard enough to have survived what you experienced, but now the ripple effects of the trauma are affecting every other part of your life!
Have you ever thought, "If I could just erase this experience from my life, I could live my life as I had always planned?"
We don't have a magic eraser to use to eliminate the pain you have experienced, but we have a lot of healing options to help you recover from your traumatic experience and live a wholehearted and meaningful life.
How Common Are Traumatic Experiences?
According to the National Center for PTSD, about 60% of men and 50% of women experience at least one trauma in their lives. The mental health impact after a traumatic experience can differ from person to person, and is related to existing stressors, any ongoing traumatic factors, biological factors, societal factors, support received around the time of the trauma, and so much more. We believe every person deserves to thrive, regardless of what they have experienced.
Trauma Therapy to Help Clients Exhale, Heal and Thrive
We as a team of therapists believe strongly that healing and recovering from traumatic experiences is possible. We have a compassionate and sensitive approach to working with trauma survivors. We work from a number of healing modalities or protocols, and all have the intent to establish a felt sense of safety, to connect with important resources and to protect the client's wellbeing as we work together to process the traumatic experience.
Our team works with an understanding that trauma affects the physical body through nervous system responses. We first work to understand how your traumatic experience has been interpreted in your nervous system. You might have become hyper-vigilant or hyper-aroused as the result of your traumatic experience. Some know this as the fight or flight response--it is our nervous system gearing up to help us move fast to avoid harm. Hypervigilance shows up as a lot of nervous energy, causing feelings of anxiety, irritability and anger. When we get stuck in a hypervigilant or hyperaroused state, we can have trouble resting, have racing thoughts, and big powerful emotions.
You may have become hypo-aroused as the result of your traumatic experience. This is the alternative nervous system response, and represents the freeze or fall-down response. In this state, you might find yourself feeling shut down, numb or disconnected from yourself or others. There is a strong lack of energy in this nervous system response and it can appear similar to depression. You may have found yourself in this state after an extended period of hyper-arousal and then nervous system exhaustion. When we get stuck in a hypoaroused state, we may be isolating from our relationships, fail to show up to work or school, or generally give up on life.
Our goal is to help clients establish a strong sense of safety and agency after their traumatic experience. We work with the nervous system response that happens with each client, helping them expand the "window of tolerance" and feel more centered and balanced again. The healing modalities utilized by our team include EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, Polyvagal Trauma Treatment, Trauma-Focused CBT, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and more. Feel free to ask about how each therapist on our team might approach trauma healing for your unique circumstances.
Common Concerns about Beginning Trauma Therapy
Trauma survivors may find themselves avoiding therapy for a number of reasons. One of the most common reason being they are afraid they will become completely overwhelmed by facing their trauma. They may have a strong protective response against opening up those memories out of a fear of being traumatized all over again. Additionally, they may have experienced additional harm when people have not received them with compassion or understanding and may struggle to trust others with the most vulnerable parts of their story.
We understand how much courage and vulnerability it takes to seek help from a professional and to trust someone new with these really painful experiences. We hold this trust very carefully and with high regard as we work with our clients. We believe that trauma healing requires a gentle touch, the right pace and skillful interventions so that our clients do not get overwhelmed and re-traumatized. We believe that it is very difficult to heal when we are overwhelmed and work to keep clients grounded and centered. Time and again, we have helped clients gently and compassionately face their trauma, process through the difficult memories and emotions, and rise above their traumatic experiences. We love to see clients experience the freedom of moving through their trauma and start to live wholehearted lives again!
Call today to discuss your unique circumstances and to get connected with a skilled and compassionate therapist on our team!
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A Benediction for the Trauma Survivor
May you never have to experience the horror of what happened again. May you find protection and establish your safe haven. May you feel safe again, deep in your bones. May you feel the loving embrace of those who truly care. May you honor your defenses for as long as you need them. May you have the courage to tell your story when you are ready. May you know the hope of releasing the memories. May the energy stored in your body find a healthy way out. May you find a compassionate guide to lead you down the path of healing. |