Do you find yourself having difficulty shaking intrusive thoughts of negative past experiences? Or do you find yourself reliving moments over-and-over in your mind?
Trauma can present in so many ways. You could be struggling with some disturbing thoughts or re-living disturbing experiences by having flashbacks. It might also lead to feelings of anger, resentment, or irritability. You are likely to have nightmares, leading to a disruption in sleep patterns. It is also common to find oneself avoiding places or people who call up disturbing memories and feelings.
Trauma Symptoms Can Present themselves In Many Different Ways
Embarking on a journey to understand and recover from trauma is an act of bravery. Trauma is never the same; it always comes in different forms that can affect your mental, emotional, and physical health. Maybe you have been through distressing situations, overwhelming stress, or had prolonged challenges that left a print on you, making living hard.
Trauma Impacts Many People’s Lives and Can be Caused by Many Things
Trauma can be described as the weight of the intense emotion provoked by distressing events that left a footprint in your mind and emotions. It makes you feel like it is impossible to manage intense feelings, most often caused by experiences like accidents, abuse, or deep losses. Many symptoms can be felt, such as flashbacks, anxiety, and depression. Maintaining your relationships becomes a difficult task as the impression of emotional trauma lingers on.
It is an unsettling disruption that may leave you grappling with overwhelming emotions, altered thought patterns, and changes in how you navigate your world. Daily life becomes a challenge as you confront the aftermath of experiences that leave an indelible mark on your psyche. Seeking therapeutic support becomes crucial in working through complex emotions to bring about healing.
Recognizing the Signs
If you find yourself:
-
Reliving bad memories in an intrusive way.
-
Feeling emotionally numb or overwhelmed by intense mood swings.
-
Struggling with trust issues and avoiding reminders of the trauma.
You may benefit from trauma therapy.
Embarking on Trauma Therapy Can Help You Take Back Control
Many people fear opening up about their trauma, even to those they love. However, trauma therapy provides you with a supportive, nonjudgmental space to express yourself and sit with your feelings. It allows you to explore the underlying causes of your trauma while developing healthier, more effective ways of coping with its impact.
Therapy also provides you with a safe space to unpack and process difficult thoughts, emotions, or experiences. For instance, if there is an emergence of sadness, anger, or grief in a session, we can work on identifying that feeling, looking at where it is coming from, and ways to resolve the pain points at the center of it all.
What Do We Talk About In Trauma Therapy?
We will take a little time just because we want you to feel comfortable. We might discuss some of the things that are bothering you, when they first started, and what you would like to accomplish through trauma therapy. We may explore aspects of your past, including your early family life and any potential pain points involving family members.
Then, we will take you back to the very beginning—to the time when that original wounding took place, so that you can address it, heal it, and move on. If something else comes up while we are addressing one pain point, we can immediately shift gears to work on that before returning to the original topic.
As we search for the catalyst to your trauma, therapy can help you understand your symptoms and provide you with tools and guidance for coping in healthier ways. For instance, if you’re isolating, we will discuss your social support system and ways you could enhance it, emphasizing why engaging with people who care about you is important.
We’re not just working on the past; we also want to help you feel better now.
Some Of The Tools We Use In Trauma Therapy
At A Helping Hand Counseling, our therapists understand that trauma therapy is personalized, and there is no one-size-fits-all approach. That’s why we draw from a range of eclectic and evidence-based tools to create a dynamic healing strategy.
For example, psychotherapeutic techniques may help you verbalize your experiences and pinpoint the core issues driving your symptoms. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for trauma focuses on challenging negative thought patterns, beliefs, and behaviors. Sandtray therapy allows for the expression of nonverbal thoughts and feelings. Experiential therapy helps us read physical cues and underlying emotions as clients share their stories. Homework, such as journaling, assists clients in tracking thoughts, feelings, and supporting healthy brain habits to interrupt the negativity loop.
If you’re searching for constructive growth and a way to heal from trauma, A Helping Hand Counseling wants to join you on that journey. With a little guidance, you can wake up eager to start the day, find better ways to manage symptoms, communicate within your support system, and reconnect with the world, those you love, and the inherent Joy of Life.
Perhaps You’re Considering Therapy For Trauma, But You Still Have Some Questions…
I have never been to therapy before; what can I expect?
We start by getting to know you and your unique concerns so that you grow comfortable with the process. Instead of laying out a strict treatment plan for trauma therapy, we prefer to be more organic. That way, we can work on long-term healing simultaneously with creating solutions to problems and tackling issues here and now.
How long does therapy usually take?
Each session is 45 minutes long, so the impact on your weekly life is minimal—and you don’t have to commit to a certain number of sessions. Yet, the process of dealing with intense emotions can be challenging, and everyone heals at their own pace. That is why we need to make sure that we work at a pace that is appropriate for you. The duration you may need for trauma therapy is entirely dependent on what you want, your situation, and how long you need to work together on meeting your goals.
No one else seems to understand what I am going through.
It isn’t unusual for family or friends not to understand the impact of trauma and how it affects you. Yet, community and support networks are very important for your healing. So, it’s important that your loved ones be aware of what you are going through. Trauma therapy will emphasize teaching you to share and engage your family and friends by making them understand how they can support you better in the process of your healing.
Let Us Help You Process Through Harmful Past Experiences
If you’re walking around with a hole in your chest, tired of trauma holding you back, our therapists at A Helping Hand Counseling want to help. Please call (720) 830-7786 or Contact Us for your free, 15-minute consultation to see how our online or in-person trauma therapy services can help you.
