Effective therapy for trauma and PTSD is dependent on trust and creating a safe space to explore the difficult things that have happened. Working through traumatic experiences can be an emotionally challenging and impactful process and must be treated with compassion and care.

You and your therapist will walk through the impact of your traumatic experiences together. Your therapist will be your guide and support, but you will be the one in control of the pace, intensity, and process of your trauma processing.

Trauma impacts one’s mental, physical, and emotional well-being as well as their behaviors. Therefore, trauma treatment includes improving understanding of ourselves and how the trauma has impacted our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Reliving your trauma is not a necessary phase of trauma therapy. Instead, the focus will be on learning effective coping skills, gaining confidence in your ability to manage difficult emotional states and discomfort associated with memories from the traumatic event, and change the narrative the trauma has had on your thinking and your life.

People who suffer from the effects of trauma and PTSD can experience a wide spectrum of symptoms. If you have any of the following symptoms, you may be suffering from the impact of a traumatic life experience or PTSD.

Common Symptoms of Trauma:

• Being easily frightened or startled.

• Experiencing constant feelings of being “on-guard” or hyper-vigilant.

• Trouble sleeping and trouble concentrating

• Irritability, angry outbursts, or aggressive behavior.

• Overwhelming guilt or shame.

• Self-destructive behaviors including self-harm, hypo/hyper-sexuality, and putting self in dangerous situations.

• Avoidance of thinking and talking about the traumatic event and attempts to avoid places, activities, or people that remind you of the trauma.

• Recurrent, unwanted distressing memories of the event

• Reliving traumatic events as if it were happening again (Flashbacks)

• Upsetting dreams or nightmares about the traumatic event.

• Memory problems

• Emotional numbness and/or feeling detached from others.

We know that diagnoses can be confusing; if you’re unsure about whether or not you are experiencing trauma, reach out for a free consultation and let us help you better understand what you are going through.

Healing from a traumatic experience can be a difficult and emotionally challenging experience; often, we have to unlearn years and years of unhelpful thoughts and ineffective behavior patterns that we have developed to deal with the hard, scary, and uncomfortable.

Therapy for trauma is more effective when it is tailored to the individual and the type of trauma that you have experienced and your specific symptoms. Talking about your trauma before you are comfortable or feel safe, can leave you feeling overwhelmed and flooded with emotions and memories, so we work with you on moving you through your trauma effectively, purposefully, and skillfully.

Our trauma therapy occurs in four stages:

1. Establishment of Safety,

2. Creation of Coping,

3. Understanding the Impact and Changing the Narrative, and

4. Reconnection to the Self.

If you are interested in learning more about potential things to expect from therapy, reach out for a free consultation with us!

A life free from being at the mercy of your memories is totally possible.

Full recovery entails:

• Being able to manage challenges more effectively.

• Greater awareness about yourself and your experiences.

• Deeper connection and acceptance of the self.

• No longer being defined by adversity or traumatic experiences.

• Feel able to take appropriate risks and seek connection with others.

• Feeling like a survivor and no longer being a victim.