Trauma and PTSD Therapy
Healing the deep wounds of past trauma to restore emotional regulation, stability, and peace.
How Past Trauma Affects Your Present
Trauma does not have a single shape. It can result from a one-time event like an assault or accident, or from chronic experiences like childhood neglect, abuse, or verbal mistreatment over a period of time. When unresolved, past trauma often fuels present emotional health challenges, making it difficult to connect current difficulties to past events.
Impacts of Unresolved Trauma
• Compulsive or addictive behaviors (including sex addiction and pornography use).
• Chronic anxiety, depression, and difficulty sleeping.
• An inability to sustain healthy, secure relationships.
• Interference with job success, education, and family life.
Bridging Past Events with Present Challenges
Understanding PTSD and Symptoms of Trauma
Exposure to abuse, assault, or other intense events can result in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). PTSD is not the traumatic event itself, but rather the long-term condition characterized by persistent, significant distress and impairment.
Key Symptoms of Trauma and PTSD
• Re-experiencing: Flashbacks, nightmares, or intense reactions to reminders of the event.
• Hypervigilance: Difficulty getting out of a heightened state of alert, instinctively switching to “survival mode” when threatened.
• Dysfunctional Avoidance: Engaging in addictive behaviors to actively avoid dealing with discomforting experiences.
• Mental Health Challenges: Strong association with anxiety, depression, and a diminished capacity for self-regulation.
What Fuels Problematic Responses to Trauma?
Each person is affected differently by trauma. The likelihood of developing PTSD or other problematic behavioral responses is influenced by a combination of factors, which we explore in therapy to tailor your treatment.
Contributing Factors
• Repeated Exposure: Experiencing multiple traumatic events or events that are intense and sustained over time.
• Helplessness: The degree to which you felt powerless or helpless during the traumatic events.
• Environment: Current stressors and lack of support in your daily environment.
• Heredity: Genetic predisposition affecting emotional regulation.
Identifying Factors Influencing Trauma Response
Effective Treatments for Trauma
Unresolved trauma powers many life struggles, but effective, evidence-based treatments are available to heal the source of your difficulty. By defusing these traumatic experiences, you can gain sustained healing from anxiety, depression, and addictive behaviors.
Specialized Trauma-Aware Therapies
• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): A powerful, evidence-based approach for treating trauma that can address the underlying fuel driving compulsive and addictive behaviors.
• Resource Tapping: Techniques used to enhance emotional regulation and build internal stability and resources.
• Trauma-Informed CBT/DBT: Cognitive and Dialectical Behavioral Therapies adapted to address the specific needs of trauma survivors.
• Mindfulness and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Approaches that help foster self-compassion and reduce distress caused by intrusive thoughts.