Are You Struggling With the Aftermath of a Traumatic Event?

Do you feel angry, ashamed, or fearful when reminded of a distressing experience? Are you having flashbacks, night terrors, or panic attacks because of a traumatic event? Has trauma left you feeling alienated and isolated from your loved ones? 

Maybe you have trouble regulating your emotions, and you suspect that it’s connected to a traumatic experience. You worry that you are overreacting or underreacting to major events in your life. Even when you try to change your emotional responses, you can’t seem to shift your mindset.

Perhaps you feel like you have to be hypervigilant of your surroundings all the time. No matter where you are, you never feel totally safe. At times, you feel completely detached from your own thoughts and identity, and your sense of self feels shaken. When you encounter something that reminds you of your trauma, you may have flashbacks of the event, leaving you reeling. Sometimes, nightmares about your experience may even keep you up all night tossing and turning.

Maybe your physical health has even suffered because of trauma. You might have severe headaches or gastrointestinal issues. Or perhaps you have even visited your doctor with concerns about your cardiovascular health.

Millions Of People Suffer From Post-Traumatic Stress

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a relatively (PTSD) common mental health condition. About 60 percent of men and 50 percent of women experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetimes.* 

For instance, some people go through traumatic experiences as children growing up in abusive homes. Dysfunctional relationships with the caregivers in their lives can lead to attachment trauma. Or in adulthood, someone may feel traumatized after surviving an emotionally or physically abusive romantic relationship.

Surviving violence can also result in similar symptoms. Many veterans return from military service with PTSD after witnessing violence in combat zones. And survivors of abuse or assault often seek treatment for PTSD as well. 

Furthermore, some women encounter birth trauma due to a frightening labor and delivery experience. Even for women with low-risk pregnancies, childbirth can take a worrisome turn in which mother’s fear that they or their baby will die. Consequently some mothers may struggle to adjust to motherhood while trying to process a frightening experience that occurred during labor.

Overcoming PTSD without professional support is unlikely. People often do not even recognize that their symptoms are actually indicative of PTSD—they may think that they are suffering from anxiety or depression. Other times, individuals may tell themselves that what they went through wasn’t really trauma and that, if only they could toughen up, they would feel better. 

Trauma Therapy Can Help You Process Your Emotions

Perhaps, like many people, you fear that talking about your trauma during therapy sessions will actually make your symptoms more severe. But in therapy, your counselor will establish a safe environment where you can process your trauma at your own pace. They will not rush you to disclose anything before you’re ready. In fact, talking about your experiences with an understanding therapist can actually feel quite liberating.

During therapy sessions, you will be able to make sense of your traumatic memories, change the problematic thought patterns that stem from your trauma, and learn healthy coping skills to help you manage and lessen the severity of your PTSD symptoms. 

Prior to your first session, we will send you intake paperwork to fill out via our client portal. Throughout your first session, you and your therapist will discuss what brought you into therapy and identify your treatment goals for the development of your individualized treatment plan.

During ongoing sessions, your therapist will work with you to uncover the root cause of your PTSD, how this condition relates to your current symptoms, and how it affects your relationships. You’ll also work on adopting healthier responses and healing your PTSD symptoms to feel safe again and let go of your fears. You will learn coping skills like deep breathing, journaling, and grounding techniques to calm yourself when you feel overwhelmed or unsafe. 

Depending on your individual needs and goals, your therapist can integrate several modalities into your treatment plan. Psychodynamic therapy can help you understand how your past trauma influences your behavior and mood in the present. By addressing these unresolved feelings, you can increase your self-confidence and reduce your symptoms. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help you identify and change negative thought patterns. You will learn to apply CBT techniques during therapy sessions and in your daily life to manage your symptoms—this repeated practice can help you make considerable progress.