TRAUMA THERPAY

You’re stuck in the past, and you want to move forward.

What exactly is trauma?

Take a deep breath because the word trauma can mean a lot to different people.

Trauma is the emotional and somatic residue of an event that threatened physical, mental, or emotional safety. Trauma is not the event itself, but, according to Peter Levine the “overwhelming trapped response to a perceived threat.”

Traumas do not need to to be big to be impactful. Seemingly minor traumas repeated over time can be just as influential as large scale traumas. Examples of “minor” repeated traumas include being told your emotions don’t matter, being denied affection or positive affirmation, or having to live up to epectations not congruent to your value system. Traumas are not your fault, they are simply a response of the nervous system.

What are some trauma responses?

  • Difficulty concentrating

  • Memory problems

  • Feeling detached from self or thers

  • Agitated or on guard

  • Increased arousal

  • Avoidance

  • Anger

  • Negativity

  • Shame

  • Increased substance use

  • Depressive symptoms: hopelessness, lethargy, lack of motivation, reduced interest

“Trauma is not in the event, but in the nervous system.”
— Peter Levine

Treating Trauma

Working through trauma is slow, nonlinear process. To really get to the root of trauma, we will work in a multitude of ways. I will integrate cognitive processing with body-centered awareness through various approaches including EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, and expressive arts.

EMDR

  • EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It’s an evidence-based treatment protocol used to integrate traumatic memories that trigger symptoms in the present.

    EMDR does not erase memories, but rather it changes how one feels about what has happened in the past. Individuals often report a feeling of acceptance of an event and sense an increase in perceived distance from the event.

    This modality is effective for many different types of trauma including developmental and attachment trauma. It is also known to work on anxiety, chronic pain, and substance use disorders.

  • EMDR is a multiphasic process that requires resource building, assessment, reprocessing, and “installation” to shift belief systems and traumatic memories. We identify targets related to present symptoms, determine beliefs related to past events, and use bilateral stimulation to integrate memory networks. Bilateral stimulation is a form of sensory input in the form of eye movements, vibrational movements, or auditory stimuli that move back and forth between the two hemispheres of the body.

    Researchers understand the acute importance of keeping the self connected to the present while playing through scripts from the past in order to shift traumatic experiences.

  • EMDR has many applications and will look different for each individual. It’s effective for both concrete big T traumas (car accidents, disasters, clear life-threatening events) as well as little t traumas (attachment trauma, faulty belief systems, emotional neglect). We’ll work together to determine if this the best approach for the work we’ll do together. Many times I’ll employ a variety of approaches to support your unique lived experiences.

Ready to get started?

Your future self will thank you.