TRAUMA THERAPY

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About 70% of adults experience trauma in their lifetime. Whether it’s a car accident, abuse or neglect, the death of a loved one, a violent criminal act, exposure to the violence of war, or a natural disaster.

While many people can recover from trauma over time with the love and support of family and friends and bounce back with resiliency, others may discover effects of lasting trauma, which can cause a person to live with deep emotional pain, fear, confusion, or post-traumatic stress far after the event has passed.

In these circumstances, the support, guidance and assistance of a therapist in trauma therapy is fundamental to healing from trauma.

Types of Trauma

Not all trauma is created equal. One of the first steps in understanding trauma is determining what type(s) of trauma someone has experienced.

• Acute trauma: a single stressful or dangerous event
• Chronic trauma: repeated and prolonged exposure to highly stressful events.
• Complex trauma: exposure to multiple traumatic events.

All type of trauma can lead to someone developing a trauma disorder, but not everyone who experiences trauma develops a disorder. When we work to identify a disorder, the Psychiatry diagnostic manual, the DSM-5, identifies four categories of symptoms that can be addressed in trauma counseling.

• Avoiding specific locations, sights, situations, and sounds that serve as reminders of the event
• Anxiety, depression, numbness, or guilt

• Intrusive thoughts, nightmares or flashbacks

• Anger, irritability, and hyper-vigilance
• Aggressive, reckless behavior, including self-harm
• Sleep disturbances

• Change in habits or behavior since the trauma
• Loss of interest in activities that were once considered enjoyable
• Difficulty remembering details of the distressing event

Not everyone who develops a trauma-related disorder requires trauma therapy. For some people, the symptoms resolve over time.  However, many people who have experienced complex trauma or  PTSD need professional treatment to help them heal.  

Research has proven psychotherapy to be the most effective form of treatment for trauma. We use multiple approaches to help people recover from trauma, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy.

If you are feeling stuck because of the unresolved trauma, we can help. You can review our therapist's bio, schedule an appointment, or reach out to our office for more information..