Therapy for Trauma Survivors
Bad things happen to good people.
Sometimes those bad things are very traumatic, and a small portion of us will go on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
You have probably heard a lot about PTSD in the news, especially affecting war veterans. And it’s true: Vets see and experience some pretty heavy things that many of us civilians never will.
But being an everyday person doesn’t mean we won’t experience bad things. We do… including accidents, disasters, assault, loss, or other types of bodily injury, including what happened to us as children and adolescents.
Trying to get back to normal…
If the traumatic event keeps replaying over and over in your head and you feel changes in your mood and body, it is likely that your exposure to trauma has not been resolved.
You might find yourself fearful of things that you had not been afraid of in the past, avoiding anything that reminds you of the event and at times feeling frozen – unable to do anything.
When the bad event is over, we hope that life can resume as it was before. But replacing property, healing from physical injury, or moving to another neighborhood… sometimes these things don’t bring relief.
In my practice, I integrate focusing on not just the mind, but also the body and emotions.
First, we will identify how trauma affects your thought patterns (flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, preoccupation, stress). We will then focus on your body (where you actually “feel” the pain in your body). Next, we will discuss the emotions tied to the traumatic event and how those emotions are currently felt.
Once we have the elements of the mind, the body and the emotions clarified, we will discuss how to integrate these parts for you to feel whole. Then, I will have you engage in exercises to alter the bad thoughts that come into your head, to allow your body to use its own reflexive ability to calm the tension and monitor the positive changes of your emotional state.
We will use talk, movement, and emotion stabilizing you to recognize the peace and calm your mind, body, and emotions are yearning for.
Asking for help…
… doesn’t mean that you are weak.
It just means you can benefit from professional help from a therapist and coach like me. I have helped adults, adolescents, and children recover from trauma for over 18 years.
Trauma-informed therapy is time-limited and focused on helping you get back to living your life in a fulfilling and meaningful way.
Give me a call today and let’s start your journey toward living life out of the shadows of trauma:
(657) 345-4681