Counseling for Trauma
Are you experiencing?
Feeling stuck or misunderstood
Emotions such as anger or sadness coming out of nowhere
Nightmares that make you afraid to go to sleep or wake you up at night
Feeling unsafe or that you can’t trust other people
Being on edge or suspicious of others
Self-blame, guilt, or shame
Past experiences just popping into your mind and throwing off your day
Low self-worth or feeling not good enough
If so, you are likely experiencing common responses to trauma.
What is trauma?
The word “trauma” is often misunderstood as it is thought to only apply to experiences such as war or life-threatening situations. If an event had a strong emotional impact on you, it would be considered a traumatic experience. Trauma could occur during a single event or series of events. No one type of trauma is more valid than another. Situations that could lead to someone feeling common trauma responses are: an accident or injury happening to you or someone else, the breakup of a significant relationship, a deeply disappointing situation, the loss of a loved one, and abuse (physical, sexual, emotional) or an assault.
What is covert trauma?
Covert trauma is emotional or relational trauma experienced through words or actions that communicate underlying messages. These messages can lead to negative personal beliefs or feelings, such as “I am not good enough” or “I am not emotionally safe.” Covert means that these words or actions aren’t always seen as outright forms of maltreatment and are therefore harder to detect and often ignored. Do any of these sound like things you’ve experienced?
A parent telling you that “you can’t get anything right”
Love or attention conditional upon your behavior
Being bullied or someone being cruel to you
A teacher telling you “this is easy, why can’t you understand that like the rest of the class”
An adult being highly critical or having extreme expectations of you
Abandonment from a parent or loved one
The science behind experiencing trauma
There is extensive research about the impact trauma has on our body and brain. This is a quick overview, but if additional information about the science is helpful, our counselors can discuss it more with you in a session.
When we go through a traumatic experience our brain goes into a fight, flight, or freeze response as an attempt to keep us safe. This is a hardwired and automatic response. Sometimes our brain does not shift out of this response, leading us to feel “trapped” or “stuck” in the memory.
This can lead the body and brain to unexpectedly tap into those “trapped” memories and bring up intense emotions, physical sensations, or feeling as if the event were happening in the present moment. This can be scary, confusing, and exhausting. There is hope and a way to help the body and brain “untrap” the traumatic memory.
How can you overcome trauma?
Trauma can be helped with the proper support and counseling. Our counselors can use Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), to help you:
Learn individualized skills to manage when you’re triggered
“Untrap” the traumatic memories and feel more neutral about the events
Lighten the emotional load of your past and help you feel more like yourself
Feel calmer and more content in your own body
Develop insights and understanding about yourself and your experiences
Feel empowered to take on new goals and live a fulfilled life