Trauma Therapy
If You’re Tired Of Being Triggered, Trauma May Be To Blame
Does it feel like you just can’t handle life’s stressors?
Nothing seems to be going the way you want it to. Work isn’t fulfilling, your relationships are strained, and you constantly feel activated. Living this way has caused you to become hopeless and depleted. And as much as you’re trying to keep it together, you just cannot cope.
Let’s face it: you’re suffering. You’re reacting—rather than responding—to every aspect of life. You’re quick to fear and anger, regularly on edge and sensitive to any slight. You’re tired of feeling hurt and wounded all the time, but you don’t know any other way; you’ve never felt safe, seen, or heard. And instead of facing your feelings, you might have the impulse to numb, turn away, or overcompensate.
I am here to tell you that you are not broken. Beneath the sadness, anxiety, and agitation, there is a loss, an experience of not getting your needs met. You don’t need fixing. What you need is consistent support and skills to help regulate your emotions. As a trauma-informed therapist, I am here to help you do those things.
No One Gets Through Life Unwounded
Every single one of us has trauma—it’s an inescapable fact of life, especially during childhood, when so much of what happens is out of our control. How we are raised and the emotional resources available to us have long-term implications into our adulthood. And even if we characterize our childhoods as happy or functional, we still encountered pain, disappointment, and unmet needs.
It is completely normal for the brain to adapt to these disturbances with protective survival mechanisms. But the more we put up our defenses, the more our traumatic response becomes ingrained. That’s why so many of us are living in reaction mode: quick to angry, hurt responses that are disproportionate to the situation.
What’s the result? Low self-esteem, severe self-judgment, and a nagging feeling that I’m not normal. But you are. You’ve just been missing tools that would help to make life feel less stressful and more manageable.
In therapy, you can break all those patterns that have stemmed from your trauma and develop the skills needed to facilitate a sense of hope and healing.
Therapy Can Transform Your Pain Into Potential
As a trained, spiritually grounded trauma specialist, I am committed to supporting your unique healing process. Trauma recovery requires a feeling of safety, and my treatment approach honors your specific goals and pace. Through gently facing your fears and healing your wounds, you will grow your capacity for coping.
My Approach
When it comes to trauma, it’s essential to work with a therapist who is experienced and well-versed in somatic methods. Trauma lives in the brain and body, so it’s important to use counseling tools that heal trauma at the neurobiological level.
For decades, I have used an effective, eclectic approach to treat clients from a wide range of backgrounds in a way that deeply honors the mind-body-spirit connection. And when it comes to trauma-specific issues, in particular, I use elements of:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) – this therapy uses eye movement to neutralize distressing associations and beliefs that have resulted from trauma. (Within EMDR, there are three types of approaches: traditional, flash, and Dr. Philip Manfield’s method—I use all three).
Comprehensive Resource Model™ (CRM) – an aspect of Brainspotting (another somatic therapy incorporating eye movement), CRM connects the innermost primitive parts of the brain to the healthiest, highest functioning parts of the self in an effort to override traumatic stress patterns.
Visualization and breathwork – by relaxing the body, these exercises will promote mindfulness and increase the window of tolerance.
Family of Origin – we will explore how early experiences and models for communication shaped your self-understanding.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) – these behavioral approaches increase skills-building and cognitive reframing to correct distorted beliefs that have resulted from trauma.
I like to think of the treatment process as a nesting doll—working from the surface down to the core issue, we will heal your trauma on every level.
This Process Works!
The defenses you’re putting up have got you to where you are today, but they’re no longer serving you. It’s time to integrate your experiences and heal your wounds so that you feel more capable, hopeful, and in control. I am here to help you determine a clear path forward so that you can move in an affirming, self-compassionate direction.
Still Have Questions About Trauma Counseling?
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Many factors contribute to this answer. For some people, consistent treatment over three to six months is sufficient, while the trauma recovery process takes longer for others. Much of the therapeutic process depends on the client-therapist relationship and a willingness to do the work! The more you apply what you learn in our sessions and take actionable steps toward your goals, the quicker you’ll get through the process.
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Your mental and emotional well-being is worth the investment in therapy! Though I am a private-pay therapist—meaning I don’t take insurance—I welcome you to explore out-of-network benefits to find out if you can receive partial reimbursements for our sessions.
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The therapeutic relationship itself is absolutely essential to the healing process. As such, when looking for trauma-specific therapy, it’s important to work with a therapist who:
● Has training and experience in trauma, specifically Childhood Trauma Recovery.
● Makes you feel safe and comfortable; many therapists offer free consultations so that you can get a sense of their personality and counseling approach.
● Makes you feel seen and heard; plenty of therapists might be nice but it’s important to work with someone who’s really listening.
● Orients the therapeutic process around your goals.
Processing Your Trauma Will Make You Feel Better, Not Worse
If you’re ready to heal the wounds and trauma at the core of your anxiety, sadness, anger, and relationship challenges, therapy works! By building your skills for coping and resilience, you can make improvements in every area of life. Contact me to find out more.