Make peace with your history.
Trauma Recovery
The body experiences trauma when you have an overwhelming experience that changes your sense of reality. It can feel like your mind knows how to be rational but your body doesn’t.
Trauma can occur from a one-time event or from abuse, neglect, or betrayal from a parent, spouse/partner, or authority figure.
If you have tried counseling before and don’t feel like you got to the root of the problem, or you have tried coping tools but you don’t feel like they’re enough, you may be living with unresolved trauma.
Treatment
Healing occurs when the psyche is safe. Treatment will include:
- Establish safety. Because life stress can block the mind from healing, you will gain support to navigate challenging life circumstances. You will learn strategies to navigate difficult relationships. You will learn to identify and advocate for your needs. Above all, we will proceed at your pace.
- Learn calming skills. You will learn strategies that will help you tame overwhelming emotions. You will practice the power of breathing, learn calming self-talk strategies and practice relaxation exercises.
- Habits that support recovery. You will explore activities that support recovery such as exercise, diet, and sleep. You will explore barriers to these activities and develop a personalized self-care plan that is unique to your lifestyle.
- Identify and expand internal resources. You will experience the power of guided imagery to help you access emotional calm, peace, relaxation, empowerment, and support. You will identify and magnify internal strengths.
- Bring body up to date. You will process traumatic experiences in a way that helps your emotional response system to know that you are now safe.
- Problem-solve ongoing interpersonal challenges. You will gain support for as long and as frequently as needed to fill in gaps that resulted from living with trauma. You will receive support to navigate interactions spouse/partner, children, parents, and others.
Treatment will be fluid and will not necessarily go in this order; however, these components are typical for trauma recovery.
Interventions
Because trauma results in overwhelming emotions, I utilize the same interventions as listed on the Treatment for Anxiety and Depression page. However, for trauma treatment, I also utilize:
EMDR
EMDR is a physiological intervention that rewires the brain’s experience of trauma. I guide you through a tapping exercise that creates alternating activation of the brain. This “bilateral stimulation” is believed to help the mind process and integrate trauma. It can work within one to two sessions if safety and internal resources have already been established. Unlike other forms of trauma treatment, EMDR does not require you to discuss your trauma in great detail.
How it Works
Schedule a free consultation.
We’ll talk together for about 15 minutes. I’ll ask a few questions about you and your goals, and you will have the opportunity to ask questions. If my services are not a good fit, then I will assist you with finding a provider who will better meet your needs. Otherwise, we will schedule your first appointment. Most appointments can be scheduled within two weeks.
Complete intake paperwork.
You will receive an email with a link to access your secure client portal. Once inside the portal, you will complete intake forms and questionnaires. They should take about 15 minutes to complete. Plan to provide information about your background, your current challenges, and your goals for treatment. You will complete some screeners that will help inform treatment.
Attend first appointment.
Access your telehealth appointment via the secure client portal. Plan to meet with me weekly to every other week for about six months. We will reassess frequency after that point.
Ready to get started?
