What is trauma?
Trauma is the emotional and physiological response related to a terrible event, or series of events. Trauma responses are distressing; they can feel out of our control and difficult to manage in day to day settings.
If you’re here, chances are you know this feeling intimately. Maybe you’re out of a traumatic environment or relationship, but you are suffering from longer term effects you didn’t notice until now.
Frequently, trauma shows up later, when we’re safe.
You may notice trouble with your partner, coworkers, or friends. You may have a hard time thinking clearly, making decisions, sleeping, or have unexplained physical aches and pains. Trauma is often very uncomfortable.
But there’s good news: trauma is treatable.
EMDR is one of the leading, therapeutic modalities that has been proven to lessen both physical and emotional symptoms of trauma. I work with my clients to ensure the therapy room is a safe space to explore whatever memories, experiences, or events have impacted or are currently impacting their life. Healing is possible, and you are not alone.
Trauma I work with:
-
Complex Trauma is repeated or chronic abuse/neglect that took place over a long period of time.
This can look like:
Chronic yelling or explosiveness from parents/caregivers
Parents giving constant criticism to their children
Lack of proper, developmentally appropriate attention as a child
Being in a relationship with someone who abuses substances
Bullying in school
Any form of harmful emotional distress that went on for years
-
This can look like:
Separation or divorce of parents
Death of a parent, sibling, or attachment figure
Physical/emotional abuse
Physical or emotional neglect
Bullying
Social isolation
Social media bullying or exploitation
-
Religious Trauma is when religious institutions, beliefs or teachings cause psychological harm. It is often associated with deep feelings of shame, guilt, and an inability to navigate your inner world without finding external validation or support.
This can look like:
Denial of identities (such as queer/non-binary identities)
Perfectionism in actions and thought patterns
Difficulty setting boundaries
Fear of unending punishment or existential dread
Chronic lack of worthiness
-
This can look like:
Miscarriage/pregnancy loss
Pregnancy after pregnancy loss
Traumatic birth
Difficulty conceiving
Difficulty breast/chest feeding
Medical complications while pregnant or during delivery
Postpartum depression, anxiety, or OCD
-
This can look like:
Sexual assault, abuse, exploitation, or harassment
Sexual trauma symptoms can often include significant feelings of shame, guilt, and self-doubt
-
This can look like:
You or a loved one needing emergency medical care
Longterm illnesses that require intensive care and time spent with doctors
Medical debt
Caregiving for loved ones
Medical neglect
Malingering from parents or others in the immediate nuclear family
-
This can look like:
Divorce expenses
Loss of a business
Loss of income due to job loss
Lawsuits
Growing up with too little/too much
Financial abuse/exploitation
-
This can look like:
Survivors of genocide, slavery, or the holocaust, as well as descendants
Descendants of immigrants with a traumatic immigration story
Family dysfunction across multiple generations
Racial or ethnic oppression, whether systemic or individualized
-
This can look like:
Therapists, social workers, and crisis-line volunteers
First responders and medical staff
Attorneys, judges, or journalists covering violent events
Teachers, foster parents, or caregivers of traumatized children
Family members supporting a loved one through trauma recovery
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Adverse Childhood Experiences (or “ACEs”) are potentially traumatic events that take place between the ages of 0-17 years old. Higher scores on the ACEs Questionnaire can put you at a higher risk for mental and physical health challenges.