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Do you suffer from the unresolved pain of trauma?
Have you always wondered how your past pain is influencing your life?
Do you experience mysterious ailments in life like anxiety and depression and you don’t know where they come from?
Does your nervous system flip back and forth from feeling overwhelmed to feeling lethargic and dull?
Do certain triggers evoke invasive bodily sensations, emotions and thoughts?
If you have experienced trauma, you know that the wounds of the past can live in the present. Even long after a painful experience has ended, your trauma might be negatively affecting your life. It can feel like you are experiencing the pain that happened so long ago as if it is happening today. Maybe you are experiencing intrusive memories and flashbacks, or you aren’t sure what happened but you have a vague sense of unease when you think about your past. Either way, your past experience can live in the present by replaying and reliving old hurts in your day-to-day life.
If you have experienced trauma, these uncomfortable reminders of the past may be interfering in your life in an agonizing way. There may be specific triggers you can identify that are similar to the original trauma, or you may just have a vague sense of unease that arrives unexpectedly at seemingly random moments. Either way, the symptoms of unresolved trauma can be incredibly difficult and demoralizing to live with. PTSD and unresolved trauma can manifest in your life in a number of ways including:
Anxiety or panic attacks
Depression and numbness
Intrusive memories
Trouble sleeping and nightmares
Struggles in relationships and friendships
Uncomfortable bodily sensations
Chronic indigestion
Addiction
Dissociation or feeling like you aren’t fully present in life
Flashbacks
Suicidal thoughts
And more
“Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence.”
- Peter Levine
Sadly, trauma is an incredibly common experience
Although you may believe you are alone in your experience, you are surrounded by millions of other people who are struggling with and healing from their own trauma. It may feel like you are the only one who has this type of pain, and that makes you different and separate from the rest of the world. Trauma can feel like an unwelcome guest that you drag around everywhere you go that you can’t acknowledge and no one else sees. The truth is you are not alone in this experience and you don’t need to feel ashamed or different from the rest of the world because of your trauma.
Compassionate trauma therapy can help you heal
Trauma is an incredibly painful and difficult experience, but you don’t have to carry it around with you for the rest of your life. There are ways to release past hurts and heal. Trauma treatment involves first and foremost a safe and compassionate relationship with a caring therapist. Because so much trauma comes from relationships gone wrong, healing it relies heavily on a safe relationship that goes right. Within the secure container of a therapeutic relationship, I will hear your story with deep compassion and help you find ways to release your pain.
Trauma can come from any experience that is intolerable or too much for your nervous system to handle. Common causes of trauma are experiencing or witnessing sexual assault, physical injury, grief, severe illness, and verbal, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. Trauma can also occur as a result of chronically misattuned parents, dysfunctional family units, or difficult childhoods. Traumatic experiences can manifest years later as disturbing or unsettling memories, feelings, bodily sensations, and emotional dysregulation. These intrusive symptoms that emerge in your life at unexpected and inconvenient moments are indicative of PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
When you are getting treatment for PTSD, it is extremely important to understand and be able to navigate the overwhelming and triggering memories or sensations associated with your trauma. As a trauma informed therapist I have specific training, experience and understanding of what it means to heal from trauma and PTSD and will always aim to keep you on the right track and safe from overwhelming triggers or memories. Working with trauma is a delicate process and it requires lots of safety and resources. Trauma therapy with me will involve establishing a thorough foundation of grounding and security in your mind and body so you feel safe to release the painful memories of the past.
You may feel like you are destined to live with your trauma forever or that it’s not worth really delving into the past in this way. However it is possible to feel safe again in your body and in your life. In trauma therapy we will explore your past in a safe and grounded way and give you clear tools to help you navigate overwhelming sensations when they emerge. Having your story heard deeply by a compassionate witness can do wonders in allowing you to face your past and release your pain. Once you can fully see your trauma in a safe and grounded setting, your pain won’t hold so much power over you. That which is unknown haunts us continuously, while that which is known and faced fully can be accepted and released.
You deserve to live life unencumbered by your trauma, and talking to a therapist is the first step towards that healing.
"Our sorrows and wounds are healed only when we touch them with compassion."
- Unkown
You might still have concerns and doubts…
“How do I know I’m not just overreacting? Did I really experience trauma?”
Self criticism and victim-blaming is very common in people who have experienced trauma. After a traumatic experience you may try to downplay what happened by thinking maybe it’s not as bad as you thought it was and that you are overreacting. This often happens because the alternative - that it really was as bad as you remember - is too overwhelming an option to face. The result of this type of down-playing of your trauma is a continuous and perpetual low self esteem, and always feeling like your problems are your own fault.
The truth is trauma is real, its impacts on your life are real, and you deserve to heal and live life more fully. What would happen if you dared to believe your story, and dared to trust yourself.? What happens if you look inside yourself and believe what you see? You may find an uncomfortable truth, but if you can resist the temptation to brush that truth aside, you give yourself a real chance to heal and release old hurts.
“I don’t like talking about my trauma, it just makes things worse”
Trauma therapy involves creating a safe and supportive space to give you the resources you need to overcome your trauma in a constructive way. A good trauma therapist will monitor your safety to make sure you don’t get lost in overwhelming feelings when talking about your past. Through a combination of mindfulness tools, somatic exercises, grounding meditations and other resources, we will make sure you have the tools to feel safe and in the therapeutic process. We can go slow, at whatever pace feels comfortable for you, and we will take a pause from the intense emotions frequently to resource you with the support you need. It is my number one priority that you feel safe and supported throughout this journey.
“How do I know I can trust you with my deepest secrets?”
I know it can be incredibly hard to open up to a stranger about your pain. You may find, though, that it is easier to talk to a stranger who has no opinions or bearing on your personal life. Establishing a connection and building a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship is extremely important for you to feel comfortable with the process of trauma healing. This does not happen overnight but takes time to develop. The consultation call and first few sessions are an opportunity for you to feel for yourself whether you can build trust with me. I will always follow your lead in this regard, and will always work to create a safe and supportive environment to help you grow.
The support you need is out there
I offer trauma therapy in Santa Cruz, and online anywhere in California. Reach out today to schedule a free, no obligation 15-minute consultation call. I’m happy to chat and answer any questions you have about therapy. We can set up an initial appointment after that if it feels like a good fit.
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