Trauma changes the way you think, feel and behave after months and years of being in survival mode. Whether you have experienced sexual abuse, loss, traumatic events, the body becomes stuck in fight, flight or freeze mode. A person experiences extreme anxiety, disassociation and at times reacting to their partner or others in their lives. Healing from trauma isn’t just by ignoring it and storing it in the subconscious becomes it comes back in different ways in life. It is about reclaiming your sense of identity, processing it and rewiring your brain so it feels safe and not in danger.
Understanding Trauma
Trauma isn’t just about what happened to you but how your mind and body is coping with it. Trauma produces a stress response that can linger for a long time if it is not dealt with. When something or someone threatens your sense of safety your nervous system is activated: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses. You may feel variety of feelings that cause PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder), some symptoms may look like:
- Hypervigilance
- Extreme anxiety
- Disassociation (out of body experience)
- Nightmares or flashbacks
- Not trusting others or yourself
- Reactiveness
- Guilt and shame
Your brain and body have been doing the best it can to survive under these circumstances. Some people store their trauma in the subconscious as a way to protect themselves, however, the trauma comes out when it triggers other issues you may experience in life. Healing begins when you are aware of it and surviving isn’t an option any longer.
Process of Trauma Recovery
Everyone’s journey is different and not linear however these are the steps that therapy can help:
1. Safety and Security
When someone goes through a traumatic experience, they feel the need to control things around them as a means to protect themselves from any future danger. You keep walking on eggshells and it becomes exhausting. In therapy, we learn grounding techniques, somatic work and healthier coping mechanisms. We will also delve into childhood dynamics and how unhealthy beliefs contributes to the trauma. We unlearn and process all of it to learn better and healthier coping mechanisms.
2. Processing
Once we work on how to feel safe, we process the trauma by externalizing it and not internalizing. That may involve different modalities such as talking through it, EMDR (see EMDR on my services page), cognitive behavioral therapy (reframing) and Gestalt therapy (empty chair technique, see more under my services section).
3. Reconnecting with Reality
Trauma can make you feel like you are out of touch with reality. Therapy helps you bring the subconscious to the consciousness and helps you feel grounded in the present moment. As you learn to heal, you begin connecting with your mind, body and soul. You start feeling safe again.
Healing takes time, compassion, and it comes in waves. What matters is you continue to be kind and patient with yourself throughout the process. The therapist provides a sense of safety for you to feel comfortable enough to share on your own pace.
From Surviving to Thriving
Recovery doesn’t mean it erases your past, it’s about processing it so that it doesn’t control your life anymore. Healing will allow you to:
- Feel safe
- Build trust
- Develop emotional intelligence
- Feel less anxious
- Feel happy and joy
Taking the step to recover from trauma is a brave journey, one that takes courage and trusting the journey. If you are ready to heal you won’t be alone. I will be there every step of the way.
When someone goes through a traumatic experience, they feel the need to control things around them as a means to protect themselves from any future danger. You keep walking on eggshells and it becomes exhausting. In therapy, we learn grounding techniques, somatic work and healthier coping mechanisms. We will also delve into childhood dynamics and how unhealthy beliefs contributes to the trauma. We unlearn and process all of it to learn better and healthier coping mechanisms.
Let’s Connect
I offer a free phone consultation to help you decide if we’re a good fit for each other and to answer any questions you might have before you begin.