Trauma Healing
“I feel like I’m stuck reliving the past...”
“I just can’t figure out how to move forward.”
If you’ve been through a traumatic experience, you know how it wholly and utterly alters the way that you respond to your life and your relationships. The circumstances that led to the trauma vary among individuals. It could be a single, life-threatening experience or an ongoing experience in which you repeatedly feared for your life or well. It could be something that happened to you recently or something that happened as far back as childhood. Still, no matter what or when it happened, the effects are often the same.
Psychiatrist and trauma-healing researcher Bessel van der Kolk, defines trauma as “not the story of something that happened back then, but the current imprint of that pain, horror, and fear living inside [of you].” You know that an event was traumatic when you see the lingering effects of it in your life. You may feel stuck as if the traumatic circumstances are still happening - images, memories, heart pounding, thoughts racing, trouble catching your breath. Or, you may notice that you have repeated, intrusive thoughts and dreams about the traumatic circumstances. You may also notice feeling jumpy and super-alert or feeling numb, distant, and cut off from others.
Some common struggles related to trauma
Having experienced a life-threatening event or events that threatened your safety or well-being
Having witnessed a loved one going through a dangerous or life-threatening experience
Repeated, disturbing memories, thoughts, or images of this stressful event
Physical reactions (e.g., heart pounding, trouble breathing, sweating)
Trouble sleeping or nightmares
Jumpiness, startling easily, or feeling overly watchful
Feeling distant, cut-off, or emotionally numb
Irritability or angry outbursts
The path to healing.
If you’re struggling to get past traumatic memories, know that you don’t have to continue to stay stuck. It often takes working with a knowledgeable professional to help you move through this experience. Together we will help you understand what has happened to you in a way doesn’t feel incomprehensible and frightening. We will make sense of your story and the effects of it on your mind using grounding, narrative, and desensitization techniques. We will work to resolve the physical and bodily symptoms from this experience using somatic experiencing and calming techniques.
You are so much more capable and resilient than you may even know. After all, you’ve already made it this far. I look forward to helping you break free from the past and move toward a life of presence and joy once again.