Has A Traumatic Experience Robbed You Of Your Sense Of Peace
- Do you ever feel like your mind and body are silently screaming “Red Alert! Red Alert!” even when there’s no danger?
- Are you so busy fighting negative, catastrophic thoughts about what could happen next that you can’t take a moment to breathe and relax?
Perhaps you’re constantly worried about being attacked, hurt, or even abandoned—so you don’t feel safe even in your most intimate relationships. Or maybe you’re realizing that you’ve lived with trauma or Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) long enough, and you’re finally ready to break free with the help of counseling.
Trauma And PTSD Can Wear Away At You Day By Day
Over time, the pain of your trauma can slowly erode relationships, careers, and even your physical health in various ways.
For instance, you may be
- irritable, moody, over-reactive, anxious, or depressed.
- easily frightened, startled, or moved to anger.
- physically exhausted and emotionally depleted.
- having trouble sleeping, eating right, or focusing.
- experiencing nightmares or hyper-focusing on the past.
At the end of the day, you may even blame yourself for your emotions, your traumatic experience, and how it affects others. But you do have allies who understand. With the help of a kind and compassionate trauma therapist, it is possible to live with greater courage, confidence, and peace of mind.
Trauma And PTSD Affect Millions Of People’s Lives
It’s estimated that a whopping 50 percent of women and 60 percent of men nationwide will endure some form of trauma within their lifetime*. And although not all of those individuals will develop PTSD, painful experiences from the past often have a way of compromising life in the present.
Because only a fraction of people ever seek treatment, you likely know someone who is silently struggling with trauma or PTSD behind the scenes of their otherwise “normal” lives.
Most of us are familiar with the typical causes of trauma, such as severe injuries or medical diagnoses, physical assault or combat experience, or the loss of a child, spouse, or sibling. However, trauma and PTSD can also result from a string of events or prolonged exposure to a toxic situation, such as childhood neglect, bullying, rejection, public humiliation, or emotional abuse.
Why Is It Difficult To Overcome Trauma Or PTSD Without Therapy?
Trauma makes it easy to get lost in the whirlwind of negative thoughts and emotions. The numbness can rob you of hope. Fear and isolation can slowly erode your emotional support network. And painful reminders, memories, and triggers keep you stuck in the past, unable to actualize change even if you knew how to make yourself feel better.
Fortunately, trauma counseling can help you find clarity amid the chaos and show you how to move forward with your life. Though it may be hard to believe—it is possible to feel safer, more grounded, and capable of navigating this world without fear.
Trauma Therapy Offers You A Chance To Reclaim Your Life
Most people who are considering counseling for trauma worry they’ll become overwhelmed or have to relive the worst moments of their life. But be assured, our job as therapists is to make sure that doesn’t happen.
At the same time, we still want you to be able to fully express yourself. That’s why we’ll teach you valuable coping skills for regulating emotions so that, if we do touch a nerve, you’ll have the tools to stay grounded and in control of your feelings. And though talking about the past is important, we will always go at your own pace and discuss only the topics that you feel comfortable with.
Perhaps the most valuable part of trauma therapy is knowing you have someone at your side who will listen and help bear the weight of your experience. In that spirit, it is important that you understand you are not damaged or broken and that the pain that you feel can be resolved.
Trauma and PTSD Treatment Approaches
Our therapists are trained in a variety of different evidence-based therapeutic methods that can be tailored to your unique needs. Throughout sessions, we will focus on:
- Understanding the root of your trauma and how it is impacting you on a physical, emotional, and mental level
- Identifying limiting patterns in your life and exploring new possibilities for coping with your trauma symptoms
- Addressing negative self-beliefs and other obstacles produced by your struggles
To achieve this, we first want to give you the time and space to share your story. In particular, we would like to know: How has your experience affected your relationships? What reminders or current stressors push you over the edge? What kind of goals do you have for therapy and what do you ultimately want your life to look like?
Because underlying factors may be complicating your experience, we’ll eventually want to explore aspects of your past. That could include your upbringing, childhood relationships, teen years, or any family history of trauma—anything that can help us develop a treatment plan that’s right for you.
Regardless of your situation, you do have a place where you can go to let your guard down, tell your story, and finally begin the healing you deserve. We know it may be difficult to reach out for help, but you’re on the cusp of discovering a brand new life for yourself: one filled with hope, confidence, and an enduring sense of safety and peace.
Perhaps You’re Considering Trauma Therapy But Still Have Concerns…
I’m worried I’ll have to talk about my worst memories.
We’re here to help you feel better, so anything that makes you feel worse actually runs against the grain of what we’re trying to do. If ever you don’t feel ready or capable of discussing something, we’ll stop and take another route. Therapy is about your personal journey to healing, not about being sticklers who adhere to a specific routine for treatment. Whatever path is best for you, we will help you find a direction that puts you on your way to healing.
I’m worried that even a trauma counselor will judge me.
First and foremost, we will never judge or look down on you—you are a survivor and you deserve to be looked up to. Secondly, the fear, self-blame, or shame you feel is probably coming straight from the wounds that you have endured. And we deeply empathize with your experience.
Trauma treatment is not just about moving forward with the future, it’s about understanding, processing, and finally reconciling the past so you’re no longer subject to its power. And that includes freeing yourself from feelings of guilt, judgment, and shame.
Does trauma therapy really work? Can’t I do this on my own?
Trauma and PTSD change a person on a neurological level, so thinking your way out of it is like trying to use a broken compass to find due north in a blizzard. When trauma has jolted your life, it’s like your circuitry gets scrambled and it becomes a challenge to go anywhere but in circles.
Trauma counseling, in some ways, is like having a chance to fix your compass, find direction, and finally start taking steps to “Anywhere but here!” Most of the time, that journey is made easier by working with someone who has the experience, desire, and will to walk with you through the storm until you feel safe.
Discovering A New Life Is Within Your Reach
If you are done with carrying the weight of the past and letting it hold you down, trauma therapy can help you discover a new life of freedom and peace. Please feel free to contact us to see how trauma and PTSD treatment can help you.
*https://hr.nih.gov/working-nih/civil/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd-2022