Therapy for Trauma and PTSD
I am an experienced trauma therapist, and have provided therapy for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for many years. Many people have experienced, or will experience some form of trauma throughout their lives. This can exist in the form of a singular traumatic event, or chronic and ongoing trauma from earlier in your life. Trauma is what remains after we experience these types of events, and our nervous system is not able to fully process or cope. Because traumatic events often involve witnessing a threat to your own or a loved one's life or wellbeing, sometimes the parts of your brain and nervous system that are responsible for responding to danger remain over-activated. When you continue to have difficulty coping and functioning in your day-to-day life for several months after a traumatic event, PTSD may develop. However, you can learn to heal from trauma, and you don't have to do it alone.
Signs That you may be Dealing With Trauma:
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Experiencing intrusive and distressing memories of the event(s)
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Feeling constantly on high alert, anxious or unsafe
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Finding yourself wanting to avoid anything that may trigger memories or feelings related to the event(s)
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Difficulty focusing
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Feeling hopeless or depressed
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Difficulty sleeping
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Flashbacks, where you may feel as though you are re-living the event(s)
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Lapses in memory
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Engaging in self-destructive behavior
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Feeling unsafe in close relationships
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Intense feelings of shame or guilt
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Experiencing chronic pain or health concerns
"I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become" - Carl Jung
How I can Help:
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Establish a sense of safety through a trusting therapeutic relationship that validates your experiences
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Help you develop relaxation skills and grounding techniques to calm your nervous system's physiological response to trauma triggers
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Process your traumatic events together and safely to create a trauma narrative that makes sense of your experience
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Connect past experiences to current symptoms, beliefs and choices
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Learn to hold compassion for yourself, your experiences and how they have impacted you
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Work to establish trusting and supportive attachment relationships that have healthy boundaries
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Utilize mindfulness-based strategies to learn to observe your body's trauma responses while staying grounded in the present
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Suggest relevant books, articles and tools that can help you to get a deeper understanding of your experiences and gain insights in between sessions