If you carry trauma inside...​​
Maybe you find yourself feeling unusually upset or angry in tense situations, often with the same people- family members, colleagues, or even your friends. You try to stay calm, but still, you- or maybe others- might think you need help with anger management.
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Maybe you keep reliving a shocking event in your mind that feels like it happened yesterday, even if it was years ago- an attack, a car crash, or abuse (emotional, physical, or sexual). You’re looking for some breathing space when something triggers you, but it’s hard to find.
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Maybe you suffer from anxiety- even panic- when the world moves too fast. You might feel like you’re in a rudderless boat in a storm- or your rudder of choice, such as drinking or distraction, doesn’t steer you where you need to go.
Maybe you feel numb, or sometimes. You notice yourself freeze, or distance yourself, which leaves you feeling disconnected, and you want a way to act, or communicate directly, when it matters. Or you feel depressed, and don’t find yourself taking joy in life anymore.
How I can help
As a trauma survivor, I’ve navigated and recovered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which features all of the above symptoms, and I’ve helped clients with both PTSD (single-event trauma) and complex (multi-event) trauma navigate the same kinds of symptoms, as well as derealization (when reality starts to feel like a dream), and depersonalization (when your sense of self seems to slip away). I follow Judith Herman’s (author of “Trauma and Recovery”) model of trauma treatment, outlined below.
Establishing safety
All traumatic symptoms arise from a lack of agency and a dysregulated nervous system. Therefore, I focus on calming the client’s nervous system through slowing the conversation, breathwork and grounding, and supporting their ability to choose the course of therapy by moving slowly and checking in often.
Remembering and mourning
Rather than erase traumatic memories, trauma therapy seeks to reintegrate them, essentially adding a new, empowered perspective to support the client moving forward, as well as allowing space to grieve the lack of safety and agency that dysregulated the client’s nervous system in the original traumatic experience(s).
Reconnecting
After the client experiences safety and examines and mourns their trauma, they’re ready to work directly with triggering situations. Through this effort, they gain confidence in their strengths and resourcefulness, develop skills, and connect to a community and other supports they can lean on when in need.