What is trauma?

Trauma is a deeply distressing or disturbing or experience. Everyone reacts to trauma differently and not everyone develops PTSD.

Taking your story back

We all experience trauma in our life at one point or another. However, some people have more intense reactions or have more experiences of trauma, which can lead their body to operate in survival mode. Many of the people who seek therapy don’t have classic PTSD symptoms, although some do. Many of our clients struggle with trust, have difficulty with relationships, deal with perfectionism, experience intense feelings or disconnection from their body. Trauma can manifest as anxiety, depression, workaholism, difficulty maintaining relationships, perfectionism, and escapism among other things.

why it matters…

Trauma can be disguised as many other things, which can prevent people from seeking support. Trauma can make us feel out of control and disconnected from ourselves. It robs us of our voice and our story. We work with clients to process, understand, and integrate their experiences, so that they can take back their story and feel like they are thriving instead of surviving.

our approach

All of our therapist’s have extra training in therapy modalities that are used in trauma. Every therapist in our practice takes a trauma informed approach with their client’s and work to create a space in therapy where you can feel brave enough to go into the past and talk about things you maybe haven’t shared with anyone else. We are committed to creating a confidential, non-judgmental space where you can process the things you have been holding, rediscover parts of yourself, and move forward to create a life rooted in joy

Support for

nightmares and difficulties sleeping (either too much or not enough), feeling alone or isolated, flashbacks to unpleasant memories , difficult, neglectful, or painful relationships with caregivers, difficulties in forming and keeping healthy relationships, difficulties with trust, lethargy, refusal to go to work or school, workaholism, perfectionism, intense feelings of shame or guilt, holding in emotions, feeling out of control, feeling disconnected from your body and emotions

Modalities

  • Brainspotting is a modality that was developed from EMDR. It involves using the body’s natural feelings and eye movement to find and process memories and sensations.

  • Narrative therapy and art therapy support processing trauma through our natural inclination for story telling. These modalities allow you to discuss the things you might not have words for.

  • TF-CBT (trauma informed cognitive behavioral therapy) is a modality mainly used with children to help them understand and processing trauma.

Common Questions

I don’t know if I am ready to talk about my past, will my therapist make me?

No, your therapist will work through therapy and processing at your own pace. We believe that trust needs to be established before you start trauma processing. Most of the time, clients organically start to tell their stories and process their past when they feel like they are ready.

how does talking about the past and painful things help?

We understand that it can be scary and overwhelming to talk about painful things. However, those things have more power over us when they remain hidden. Trauma processing and therapy is not about sitting in the past. It is about acknowledging what happened and integrating it into your life story. We can both thank your mind and body for using coping skills to keep you save AND acknowledge that those skills are not longer working.

Why is art therapy beneficial for processing trauma?

Often, trauma is not stored as nice pretty memories; it is stored as sensations and feelings. Most people who have experienced trouble have difficulties talking about what has happened. Art therapy provides a container and a safe space to explore memories and emotions related to trauma. It allows people to put down the things they can’t say out loud.