Do You Feel Stuck in the Past And Worry You’ll Never Feel Normal Again?
Are you experiencing any of the following symptoms?
Recurring flashbacks or intrusive thoughts about past events
Avoiding situations that are reminders of the event
Nightmares or disturbing dreams
Feeling numb or detached
Feeling chronically on edge
Often finding yourself in situations where your mind knows you’re safe but your body feels otherwise
Feeling uncomfortable with people in your space
If you’re dealing with trauma, you may find yourself overcome by physical discomforts you can’t seem to control, like lethargy, sleep issues, persistent pain with no medical cause, chronic tension, anxiety, depression and more. You may notice yourself keeping people at arm’s length and have difficulty fully trusting anyone. Or perhaps you have a pattern of being overly trusting and attracting unhealthy relationships. Feeling safe and comfortable in your own skin feels like a daily challenge.
The emotional pain of being reminded of an unsettling event can leave you feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed. At this point, you are craving the tools, insight and support needed to create a path towards healing.
Trauma is Wide-Reaching and Affects Most People
The statistics for trauma are quite eye-opening. About 60% of men and 50% of women experience at least one trauma in their lives, and at least 8 million adults have Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during a given year.
PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) or PTS (Post-Traumatic Stress) can affect anyone and can manifest in many ways. Symptoms that persist for more than one month, are severe, and interfere with daily functioning are characteristic of PTSD.
The main symptoms include:
Flashbacks or reliving the memory of the upsetting event repeatedly.
Avoiding triggers of the trauma (i.e. staying away from people or places that remind you of the traumatic event)
Feeling unsafe and looking for danger or threat around every corner. Easily startled by loud noises, being touched, or people in your space.
Persistent negative thoughts about yourself, others, and the world and inability to experience positive emotions.
PTSD symptoms can be caused by a number of things—infidelity, a terrible car accident, a bad break-up, unexpected loss/losses, illness, or losing your job. It also includes more major events such as sexual trauma, sexual abuse, violence of any kind (whether it be physical, emotional or sexual), a traumatic childhood, and more.
For those who have experienced or observed any kind of traumatic event (no matter how large or small), the result is being stuck in an endless loop of thoughts, memories or triggers. In other words, the past is always present.
When bad things happen, it can be hard to find the words to talk about it. In some cases the traumatic event was so immense, it feels unspeakable. Friends or family can certainly be helpful, but you may not want to burden them with the weight of what you’re going through. Or perhaps you’ve tried talking about your feelings with them but it doesn’t seem to get better.
The good news is you don’t have to go through this alone. If you’ve done everything you can to feel better, but you’re still feeling stuck, help is available. Overcoming PTSD is within your reach and healing is possible.
Recover & Reclaim A Sense Of Well-Being, Hope, And Renewal With Trauma Therapy
As someone who has extensive training in trauma-based approaches and who specializes in helping clients deal with trauma, I know how possible it is for people to recover from PTS or PTSD.
Because trauma typically affects your sense of safety in the world, during the first several sessions of trauma therapy I will lead you in a variety of foundational mindfulness and body-based exercises aimed at decreasing your anxiety and helping you to feel calm and safe both during sessions and in your life.
We will discuss what your primary symptoms are, how they’re negatively affecting your life, and what you’re hoping to achieve in therapy. Everyone’s trauma story is different and, depending on where you are, we will explore your story in a number of different ways. It is not uncommon for people with a trauma history to feel hesitant or fearful to tell their story—in fact, sometimes verbalizing it can be unhelpful in resolving your trauma symptoms. This is why I offer a variety of options.
The stories of our lives exist not only in our minds but also inside our bodies. This is especially true for trauma. Using gentle and supportive approaches—such as mindfulness, EMDR, sandtray therapy, and somatic techniques—I can help you explore and heal your trauma story not just through talking, but through feeling, sensing, movement, visualization, and creative play. These approaches will help to resolve the trauma which is stored both in your mind and in your body.
“In order to change, people need to become aware of their sensations and the way that their bodies interact with the world around them. Physical self-awareness is the first step in releasing the tyranny of the past. To feel and know your body, safety is an essential ingredient of healing.”
During trauma therapy, you will learn that everything you’ve been going through is a very normal response to experiencing a traumatic event(s) and that it is not “all in your head”.
You will acquire a number of strategies to help you feel safe in your body, relationships, and environment. Some of the skills you will learn include:
How to cope with triggers in a healthy way.
How to respond to and manage overwhelming emotions or body sensations.
How to set boundaries in relationships.
How to work with negative thoughts which keep you in a state of anxiety and self-doubt.
Most importantly, therapy will support you in letting go of the traumatic event(s) so that you can move towards having the life you want.
During trauma therapy, we will move at a pace that feels comfortable to you. Throughout the process, you are always in complete control. Therapy not only offers relief from your symptoms but also helps you to leave the past behind you so you can be yourself again.
Since 2009, I have been helping clients overcome trauma and have been amazed to see how quickly clients are able to move past difficult traumatic events. As someone who has overcome my own trauma history, I can provide both personal and professional expertise in helping you move past this challenging time.
When you overcome and process trauma, you are then free to make more choices and live your best life—a life of wholeness and satisfaction which hadn’t seemed possible before.
You may still have questions or concerns about trauma therapy…
Isn’t stirring things up from the past only going to make me feel worse?
This is a very valid concern, and the reality is that trauma work is difficult but yields amazing rewards. When undertaken with a trained professional, successful trauma therapy allows you to release the past for good and achieve a sense of wholeness and well-being that you may have believed was permanently lost.
I don’t really remember what happened so how can talking about it help?
Not remembering what happened is a common way of coping with a traumatic event(s). Fortunately, there are methods to healing that don’t involve talking at all, and can actually be more beneficial for dealing with trauma.
I’m worried that therapy is going to take a really long time and I won’t be able to afford it.
Therapy is an invaluable investment in yourself. In some cases, I’ve had clients who suffered with symptoms for years that were easily resolved in trauma-focused therapy in a short period of time. Taking the time to prioritize your healing now can save you from years of further suffering and discomfort.
Recover and Reclaim the Life You Want
Trauma therapy can be painful and challenging but you don’t have to do it alone. If you are ready to recover and heal from the traumatic experience(s) which have been holding you back, please contact me at 210.802.2697 to schedule a free phone consultation, during which we can discuss how therapy can help you.