Trauma Therapy

What is trauma?

The word “trauma” simply describes a bad thing that happens to a person. We all experience something traumatic at some point in our lives. “Little t” trauma may involve a frightening experience but not necessarily a life threatening situation. “Big T” trauma, in contrast, involves a situation that put someone in significant danger. You may have experienced this danger yourself or witnessed someone else being hurt or abused. A car accident, childhood physical or sexual abuse, or combat violence are all examples of Big T trauma.

Trauma leaves an imprint on the human body in ways that cause long term effects. A traumatic memory is not stored like a regular memory. Traumatic memories are stored in sensory ways — through scent, sights, or other body sensations. Therefore, to treat trauma we have to engage our bodies, not just our cognitive thinking brain.

You may be physically safe in a moment but still feel very afraid. That’s because your amygdala, or your survival brain, believes you are in danger. The amygdala’s entire job is to assess danger, but trauma confuses the amygdala and causes it to believe there is danger when there isn’t. Therefore, by using bodily interventions learned in therapy, you will help the amygdala understand that you are safe.

I treat trauma by engaging the body in ways that regulate the Central Nervous System, primarily through mindfulness and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR.

What is Mindfulness therapy?

Mindfulness therapy involves learning to simply notice your physical and mental experiences without judgment. Mindfulness engages the parasympathetic nervous system which promotes feelings of calm and safety. You can practice mindfulness by deep breathing and allowing yourself to simply experience life, in that moment, inside your body. I can teach you all about how to do this in session, and I’ve also recorded some free mindfulness meditations that you can access on the Resources page.

Mindfulness effectively combats trauma by restoring a sense of safety in the body. Traumatized people often do not feel safe in their bodies and sometimes do anything possible to avoid being truly in their bodies. That’s the amygdala sensing danger when there is none. By practicing mindfulness your body may begin to feel safe again and you can learn to cope with life’s stressors.

What is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a form of therapy that gives improperly stored traumatic memories a chance to store themselves appropriately. Do you have any memories, perhaps from childhood or adolescence, that you still find distressing? Perhaps experiencing a reminder of that incident triggers something in you that you cannot explain. Suddenly you’re extremely upset and unable to cope, so you turn to unhealthy behaviors like dieting, self-harm, or excessive exercise. EMDR may remove that distress and help you regain your ability to respond to triggers more effectively.

You may know logically you are responding to a traumatic trigger rather than experiencing real danger. Despite this, a trigger might still cause you to feel constant distress or to blame yourself. Through bilateral stimulation, the primary technique of EMDR, I can help you learn resources to help you stabilize so that we can eventually desensitize a negative memory and install a positive belief about yourself in its place, such as “I am enough as I am” or “I am safe.”

Get Started with us, today.