Overcoming Trauma
"Where is all this coming from?"
Do you ever wonder why "out of nowhere" you become overwhelmed with intense emotions when no one else seems affected? As if you are reacting to something that no one else sees.
Or maybe some triggering smell, sound, or situation causes you to shut down completely
What various forms of trauma share, whether stemming from childhood or from more current events, is that you are having a reaction in present time to something that happened in the past.
Don’t be too quick to dismiss the effects of trauma because "other people had it a lot worse."
Dr. Robert Scaer, trauma specialist, defines trauma as "any negative life experience that happens under conditions of relative helplessness."
It is your emotional reaction that makes the negative event. The more helpless and overwhelmed you feel, the more likely you are to feel traumatized.
Traumatic events, whether from childhood or adult experiences, include, but are not limited to…
Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse…
Neglect…
Assault, robbery, mugging, or bullying…
Animal attacks…
Auto accidents…
Injuries or medical treatments…
Loss of a loved one…
Witnessing violence or disaster…
Wartime experiences…
I use many specifically trauma-oriented approaches to help you.
Trauma work teaches you skills to manage symptoms such as depression, anxiety, flashbacks, and dissociation… and empowers you to move forward without shame or fear.
Together, we’ll build a sense of inner safety, learn what your physical symptoms are telling you, and un-blend the past from the present.
I also offer a trauma group for women. Once you learn skills to manage intrusive symptoms, it can be extremely helpful to process your experiences with others.
It’s time to begin your recovery.
I believe we all have within ourselves the ability to heal.
Will it be easy? No.
But it will likely be life changing.
Wouldn’t it be nice to embrace the world without hypervigilance, without a constant feeling of imminent danger, without avoiding even the merest possibility that you could be triggered?
Sometimes you have to grieve what your trauma may have stolen from you before you can build anew.
I am here to listen to your story, to hold your grief safely, and reflect the courage it takes to repair the damage of traumatic experiences.
Call me today at (585) 591-6940.