What is Trauma?

Trauma is the result of an event, series of events, or circumstances that is experienced by an individual as psychologically, physically, or emotionally harmful or threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual's physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.  
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Trauma can be a single incident such as a bad accident, or long-term and developmental in case of emotional neglect. 


Trauma is experienced on all levels of experience and can cause debilitating effects on the psyche, physical health, and of course the emotional and relational life of an individual.

 
Trauma affects the Nervous System and we respond in 3 ways: Fight, Flight, Freeze. ​

When we experience trauma, it gets stuck in the our short-term memory and in our body and that is why any small reminder or trigger takes us back to the moment of the traumatic event, as if it is happening to us right here, right now. 

​Some trauma cannot be talked about but are felt internally. 


​Do you feel : 
- stuck in a loop
- agitated and irritable not knowing why
- Overwhelmed and anxious
- lack of energy
- tired, isolated, and lonely
- triggered by certain stimuli
- difficulty soothing yourself
​- unable to let go of the past

These may be the symptoms of TRAUMA. 

​What can therapy do? 

A holistic approach can help you deal with all aspects of your trauma. Relational talk therapy can help you access the logical and emotional angle of your trauma. 

In addition to relational talk therapy, I bring in a somatic (body-based) approach to my work which helps clients connect to their body and the sensations of traumatic events that may not be accessible for the verbal brain. 

To allow for an integral therapeutic effect I utilize EMDR to help clients who have had unsuccessful therapy experiences reach new and comforting results. 

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What is EMDR? 
Eye Movement Desensitization and reprocessing is an approach that activates 2 sides of the brain and helps with the integration of trauma. 

How does EMDR work? 
No one knows how any form of psychotherapy works neurobiologically or in the brain. However, we do know that when a person is very upset, their brain cannot process information as it does ordinarily. One moment becomes "frozen in time," and remembering a trauma may feel as bad as going through it the first time because the images, sounds, smells, and feelings haven’t changed. Such memories have a lasting negative effect that interferes with the way a person sees the world and the way they relate to other people.

EMDR seems to have a direct effect on the way that the brain processes information. Normal information processing is resumed, so following a successful EMDR session, a person no longer relives the images, sounds, and feelings when the event is brought to mind. You still remember what happened, but it is less upsetting.
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  •         Trauma can take away your ability to deal with       stressful events and thus leaves you with a sense of everlasting overwhelm.

        Therapy can help you get your life back.

        Call now for a consultation: 310-691-0049