TRAUMA THERAPY
Has Trauma Impacted Your Quality Of Life?
Have you survived something painful, frightening, or even life-threatening?
And do you feel as though you are living in the shadow of that moment?
Unresolved trauma impacts the brain and body, alerting us to threat, even in safe situations. Living in defense mode, it can be hard to stay present, maintain relationships, and feel trusting of ourselves and the world around us. Trauma is often at the root of common experiences like anxiety, depression, and other mental health obstacles.
Signs Of Post-Traumatic Stress
If you are living with reflexive trauma, you may feel as though you are trapped in a nightmare. You might often ruminate on what happened or struggle with intrusive flashbacks. Maybe you feel triggered in certain situations, especially when encountering sights, smells, sounds, or sensations you relate to a traumatic experience. As a result, you may be avoiding the activities and people that once made you feel joyful and safe.
Sometimes trauma manifests as symptoms you may not associate with post-traumatic stress. You may think that you have already processed and moved on from your pain. Yet, you remain impacted by reflexive trauma. Not fully ready to let your guard down, you might withdraw, initiate conflict, or be quick to find flaws in others. As much as you have tried to feel comfortable and avoid “bad” thoughts and feelings, you simply don’t know how to just be.
Through the struggle to find connection and trust in therapy, you will achieve an earned sense of safety and confidence. In doing so, you could look forward to the future with confidence and a newfound sense of worthiness. Through therapy, you have an opportunity to resolve emotional pain and mental barriers to reconnect with your authentic self so that you are no longer living in the shadow of trauma.
Trauma And Its Relationship To Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
The impact of trauma has been written about since The Iron Age. For many of us, trauma has always been an intimidating and dangerous idea, often aligned with single-incident events, including assaults, accidents, military combat, and natural disasters. Yet—especially following the global stressors brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic—we are now seeing that trauma takes many shapes, develops from a variety of experiences, and affects a wide range of people.
In the mid-1990s, Kaiser teamed up with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to create a foundational metric for qualifying trauma, known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). By studying ACEs, researchers revolutionized the way we conceptualize childhood trauma and the physical, emotional, and cognitive effects that ACEs have in adulthood.
There is a strong link between ACEs and physical health outcomes, as the risk of smoking, drinking, and substance abuse increases with each adverse experience. Additionally, there is a stronger likelihood of broken bones, heart disease, cancer, and suicide among those with multiple ACEs. In fact, the CDC estimates that 5 out of the top 10 leading causes of death are associated with ACEs.¹
Trauma continues downstream from one generation to the next, which is why people who were traumatized as children often engage in the same unhealthy coping techniques and behaviors that they internalized early in life. Because it is reflexive—shaping the mind and body—trauma will keep the nervous system trapped inside of a maladaptive stress response unless proper treatment is sought out. In other words, “we don’t live our lives; we live our trauma” until our trauma is properly processed.
At In View Counseling, our team of trauma-informed therapists will partner with you in a gentle, affirming way that promotes feelings of peace and safety. Through therapy, you can work toward becoming your authentic, relaxed self, no longer burdened by the pain of trauma.
Trauma-Informed Therapy At In View Counseling
When the nervous system is stuck in defense mode, it can be difficult to access feelings of courage, acceptance, and grace, but counseling offers a safe environment where you can learn to let go. Working with your therapist, you can develop new perspectives and strategies for coping that will ultimately allow you to flourish.
Trauma-informed therapy is available for clients of all ages and backgrounds at In View Counseling. As a culturally aware and neuro-affirmative practice, we recognize how certain societal structures perpetuate the cycle of trauma among minority communities, including women, people of color, LGBTQ+ folks, and those who are neurodivergent. We will meet you where you are in therapy and work toward fostering a sense of validation and acceptance in your life.
What To Expect
Our therapists invest themselves in advanced training and research on trauma-related topics. Working across disciplines, we are likely to draw from a range of therapeutic approaches to individualize your or your child’s therapeutic experience. Sessions will focus on regulating stress and emotions while also targeting trauma at the body level using the following methods:
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Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) - helps to adjust your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors as they relate to trauma.
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Somatic (or body-based) skills (including breathing practices and yoga) – promotes awareness of physical sensations in identifying triggers.
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Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - a highly effective trauma treatment that rewires the brain’s stress response.
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Alternative therapeutic methods in conjunction with counseling, including referrals for therapeutic massage and ketamine-assisted treatment.
If you can arrive at a place of accepting your trauma and its impact on your life, then things are likely to meaningfully change in a lasting way. It’s not always an easy task, but therapy truly can make a difference. At In View Counseling, we are here to witness, validate, and improve your experience so that you don’t feel trapped in the cycle of trauma any longer.
Still Unsure If Counseling Can Help You Overcome The Effects Of Trauma?
A therapist can’t possibly understand my trauma.
Understanding happens with consistent and prolonged interaction. Because we have faced our own trauma, we can act as guides while you face your own, acting as a witness and a collaborator. Ultimately, therapy is designed to help you feel seen and supported on your healing journey.
I don’t think that life can get better.
You’ve heard and know from experience that change is a natural part of life. The good news is that we are here to offer support as you continue to grow and change. Through counseling, you can create an existence that is not solely dictated by your trauma.
I am afraid to be vulnerable about my trauma in therapy.
A big part of trauma treatment is preparation and ensuring that you have positive coping skills that we can rely on as we discuss your experience(s). We will work with you to enhance existing coping strategies and provide you with new ones so that you can self-regulate during the initial sessions where we will be discussing your trauma.
Our goal is to make therapy for trauma a gentle, paced process—we will progress as it is comfortable for you. That said, finding areas in your life where you can create some breathing room as you participate in treatment may be helpful. Removing stressors in general will make the process of treatment more manageable.
Escape The Cycle Of Pain
Trauma may have cast a shadow on your life, but it doesn’t have to stay there forever. In trauma-informed therapy through In View Counseling, you or your child can learn to become vulnerable and process the pain of what happened.
We invite you to schedule a brief consultation with one of our counselors who can help be part of the change.
