Trauma Treatment

Have you experienced trauma that continues to impact your daily life? Sometimes trauma comes from a single event, other times it is due to repeated experiences over time. People respond to distressing events in different ways. Some may experience symptoms shortly after a traumatic event, while others notice the effects months or even years later. Trauma focused therapy can provide a safe, supportive environment to process difficult experiences and develop effective ways to coping.

What is trauma?

​Trauma is a psychological response to an experience that feels deeply threatening, disturbing,  overwhelming, or unsafe. Trauma can result from many situations, including car accidents, abuse, violence, natural disasters, serious illness, loss, or ongoing stressful experiences.

Symptoms often associated with trauma include the following: anxiety, fear, or feeling constantly on edge, intrusive memories, distressing thoughts, nightmares or sleep difficulties, avoiding people, places, or situations associated with the experience or similar experiences, emotional numbness, feeling disconnected, difficulty trusting others, irritability, changes in mood, difficulty concentrating, and feelings of guilt or shame. Sometimes these symptoms are so severe that one might meet the criteria for post-trauma stress disorder (PTSD). This is particularly true when symptoms impact ones ability to function in their daily life. ​

When trauma is repetitive or prolonged, especially in the context of important relationships or in childhood, it is typically referred to as complex trauma or CPTSD. Repeated traumatic experiences are often significantly impactful. To learn more, visit our post on complex trauma. 

Understanding Complex Trauma

How does trauma therapy help?

There are many different kinds of trauma related therapies. Many trauma focused therapies begins with helping individuals create an internal sense of safety utilizing various coping strategies and techniques. Therapy does not involve forcing someone to revisit painful memories before they are ready. Patients get to decide when they feel truly prepared for  processing. Additionally, sometimes therapy does not require one to revisit their experience directly in order to see improvement. 

Developing emotional regulation and grounding skills is often part of what make therapy effective. Therapy can offer you a better understand of your trauma responses, patterns and triggers. It can be useful for challenging unhelpful thoughts or ruminations. Therapy is helpful for developing effective communication and improving relationships. In addition, therapy can help you reconnect with a sense of safety and personal control over your life. 

There are several different types of trauma focused therapy modalities. One highly effective method called Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is utilized at the Center for Mental and Wellness. To learn more about EMDR therapy visit our EMDR page. 

EMDR Therapy

What to expect from trauma therapy?

Searching for trauma therapy may feel overwhelming. It can be challenging to know what therapy or therapist is right for you. When you begin therapy at the Center for Mental Health and Wellness, the first appointment will be a initial consultation where we can mutually determine if it is a good fit. Next, is a diagnostic assessment and treatment planning. Therapy is a collaborative experience and patients are engaged to state any specific goals or desires they have for the process. If you are undecided, that is okay too. We can work together to determine best steps and approach. After goals are established, coping strategies and techniques are discussed followed by processing when the patient is ready. Healing is rarely a perfectly linear process. Some days may feel easier than others, and progress can look different for each person.

If trauma continues to affect your daily life, relationships, or emotional health, schedule a consultation today!

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