Trauma Therapy
Do You Feel Stuck In A Traumatic Memory?
Does the trauma you experienced feel like it has never left you? Do physical, psychological, and emotional symptoms cause you to disconnect from the present moment and disrupt your daily routine? Are your body and mind continually—and, often, unexpectedly—reliving the event, even when you are in a seemingly safe place?
The repercussions of unresolved trauma can creep up on you anytime and anywhere. Without warning, you may be flooded with intrusive thoughts, overwhelming fear and anxiety, and intense physical reactions, such as sweaty palms and a rapid heartbeat. You may feel that the only way to stay safe is to remain constantly hypervigilant.
As fight, flight, freeze, or fawn behaviors kick in, you may experience dissociation or a pervasive sense of being in danger. These reactions may paralyze you in situations you’re otherwise capable of navigating. Even though the trauma may have happened long ago, it’s as if some part of you has gotten stuck in that moment and can still recall the fear on a visceral level.
Trauma Is A Silent Epidemic Around The World
“Around 70 percent of adults worldwide have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lives. [1] In the United States alone, about 61 percent of men and 51 percent of women have been exposed to at least one traumatic event, most commonly an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). [2] [3] ”
Considering how many obstacles in life there can be for trauma survivors, these are staggering statistics.
Unlike experiencing routine stress, trauma is different because it stems from a highly subjective response to a particular event. A distressing experience where you fear for your life or a loved one's life such as getting in a car accident, breaking a bone, receiving a bleak medical diagnosis, or losing a loved one, job, or home all have the potential to register as trauma.
However, extenuating factors—such as having a safe and supportive community—help mitigate trauma. Without strong relationships to catch us when circumstances get overwhelming, the likelihood that a stressful experience becomes traumatic increases exponentially.
Why Trauma Is Hard To Recover From Without Counseling
Neuroscience illustrates that when we experience trauma, the part of our brain responsible for high-level thinking goes offline. We are then forced to operate from our limbic system—the more rudimentary parts of the brain—which causes the distressing experience to get stored in the body. Unfortunately, reconnecting brain and body in a way that allows us to wholeheartedly process trauma is hard to do alone.
However, working with a specialist can help you move beyond your trauma. A trauma-informed counselor can teach you somatic exercises for trauma to release what has been trapped in your body so the fight-flight-freeze response no longer hijacks you of your peace.
With trauma, the only way out is through. For therapy to be effective, you will have to confront your experiences in an intimate and deeply embodied way. But you won't have to face your trauma alone—your therapist will be right there with you.
Therapy is a safe space for you to navigate the depths of your trauma in a way that can reintegrate your mind and body, make sense of your traumatic experiences, and chart a new course forward in life. Although working through trauma with a counselor will be an emotional endeavor, getting through to the other side is well worth the journey.
Trauma Therapy Can Be A Healing Journey
What To Expect In Sessions
First and foremost, we want to emphasize the importance of being in the room with you. We believe you should never feel alone while doing trauma work, nor should you have to talk to a therapist through a screen. Before getting started, we will take our time getting to know you, ensure you feel relaxed with us, and settle into a strong sense of safety together.
Once we have co-created a safe environment, we will explore your experiences at a pace you are comfortable with while tapping into your innate resiliency. Along the way, we will provide you with psychoeducation to help understand how trauma gets stored in the body and impacts your nervous system. By working together, we can help you develop creative and meaningful coping strategies to calm and soothe your nervous system and restore peace.
Somatic Work For Trauma
The goal of treatment is to reconnect the parts of your body that disconnected from your mind during the experience of trauma. Utilizing somatic healing practices allows space for your mind and body to heal together.
In ongoing sessions, you will practice somatic exercises to release trauma—such as breathing exercises and physical movement that promotes bilateral stimulation—to manage and regulate the uncomfortable symptoms associated with trauma. Something as basic as throwing a frisbee or football with the opposite hand can help you connect both hemispheres of the brain which makes tapping into deep-rooted memories more accessible.
Over time, you will learn how to move the trauma out of a place of continual reliving and into a place of meaning-making and memory. Through growth and introspection, you can reclaim your life and begin cultivating the work, play, and relationships you have been longing for.
As a human being, you are inherently resilient, capable, and expansive enough to overcome whatever has happened to you. With a little bit of support and a lot of courage, it is possible to grow through your trauma and start taking your life back.
But Maybe You Still Have Questions About Trauma Therapy…
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Some temporary discomfort can lead to long-term healing. We like to use the example of breaking an arm and getting it cast. If the break is bad enough, the doctor must reset the bone. This certainly causes a deal of discomfort in the moment. But over the life of that bone, it will be better for it. Similarly, any time you reopen a raw wound, you run the risk of temporarily reexperiencing some emotional pain. Symptoms may increase for a time, but this is absolutely part of the healing journey—a journey that you will be fully supported in.
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We hear this question a lot—it’s unfortunate that our society has shaped this narrative around asking for help. However, being vulnerable and needing others is a core component of our human nature. Asking for help is actually one of the most courageous things we can do. When we wall ourselves off from supportive and caring communities, we starve ourselves of one of our most fundamental human needs: connection. We invite you to take the risk and practice the courage to reach out.
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Although there are no magic fixes for trauma, there is a strong correlation between the amount of effort you put into this work and the results you can achieve. As therapists who specialize in somatic exercises to release trauma, we have seen incredible progress made by people willing to invest in this journey. Therapy alone may not have the power to heal all trauma, but it certainly can set you up for success in learning how to navigate and grow through the challenges of life.
Trauma Doesn’t Have To Define You
If you feel ready to heal deep wounds and move forward with your life, we are here to help. To find out more about trauma therapy with Praxis, visit our contact page or call 626-578-5803 to schedule a free 15-minute call.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5632781/
[2] https://mentalhealthcenter.com/trauma-treatment-therapy-counseling/
[3] https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/aces/pdf/vs-1105-aces-H.pdf
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