PTSD & Trauma Recovery

Trauma can keep you in a cycle of uncertainty.

Within psychology, we can define trauma as an experience or series of experiences perceived as painful or distressing that result in lasting adverse effects on a person’s functioning and well-being. There are two categories of trauma: Big “T” and Small “t” trauma.

Big “T” traumatic experiences can result from physical or sexual abuse, natural disasters, combat or war, serious accidents, sexual assault, or childhood abuse or neglect.

Small “t” relational trauma can be the consequence of chronic emotional neglect, unhealthy relationship dynamics, parental pressure/parental emotional unavailability, bullying, infidelity, or microaggressions.

Trauma impacts one psychologically and physically.

Experiencing trauma can be a contributing cause to a host of disorders, such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, ADHD, phobias, and other conditions. The most common diagnosis associated with trauma is PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

Common PTSD symptoms persist at least six months after the traumatic event(s) and include common symptoms of the following: recurring flashbacks of the event, difficulty sleeping, feeling emotionally numb/detached, self-destructive behaviors, hypervigilance (being easily startled/alarmed), irritability/angry outbursts, or physical reactions (rapid breathing, sweaty hands, shaking, fast heartbeat).

I primarily utilize EMDR to treat PTSD and the effects of trauma.

Often, traumatic experiences are difficult to express in personal relationships or day-to-day settings. Having a secure and open space to talk about your experiences and process your associated emotions is beneficial.

Identifying and processing your trauma is the key to relief.

From a trauma-informed lens, we can view trauma as being the primary cause of psychological and relational distress.

We can compare it to a tree with a disease at its roots. The underlying disorder will affect the trunk, branches, stems, and leaves. Instead of trying to treat each leaf and stem (which is very time-consuming), we locate, identify, and process the underlying source of pain and maladaptive behavior. You can expect that once we treat the primary trauma, secondary symptoms such as anxiety, depression, substance abuse, difficulty identifying and expressing emotions, and relationship distress can begin to become resolved.

I view clients as inherently resilient and already capable of achieving their goals. However, there are currently obstacles to accessing this ability, and to recover, one needs help. For example, when a medical doctor treats a patient with an infected wound, the physician cleans the injury and applies stitches and bandages for protection. This makes it possible for the patient’s body to heal itself under those conditions.

Similarly, my role is to facilitate removing the effects of emotional trauma and help create the conditions for your innate healing capabilities to flourish.

Break trauma’s cycle and move forward.

Whether you suffer from traumatic incident(s) or relational trauma, we can work together to identify the source and help you replace unwanted habitual reactions with an empowered and adaptive response.

The procedure I use is effective, and I am here to help you overcome the trauma that limits your ability to stabilize your life and thrive.

Contact me today so we can talk about how I can help you get past the trauma that is holding you back.