Overcoming a traumatic event can be hard, but it is possible with the help of Trauma Therapy.

Did you experience an event that left you feeling traumatized?

Has a particular experience caused you to have panic attacks?

Do you find yourself avoiding activities or places that remind you of a past experience?

Have you noticed a difference in your sleeping and eating patterns?

Do you have an overwhelming fear of certain people or places?

After experiencing a traumatic event it can feel as though your world has been turned upside down.

You find yourself replaying the memory of what happened over and over, as if it’s on repeat, and even though you know they’re just memories you still feel fearful. You can’t help but worry that it might happen again and while it may be months, even years since it happened you still find yourself having nightmares and feeling like you are in a constant state of paranoia. Little things trigger you and cause you to have anxiety or panic attacks. You feel like the world you knew and once enjoyed has become hard to exist in, because you can’t help but to see it as dangerous. All of your sense of security has disappeared and you just want to feel safe again.

Whether emotional or psychological trauma it can cause a sense of hopelessness, as if things will never return to normal. You may be hesitant or embarrassed to talk to your loved ones about fear you feel because it seems irrational.

There’s No Need to Feel Ashamed

According to the National Council, 70% of adults in the US have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their life. Psychological and emotional trauma typically occurs after experiencing an extremely frightening or stressful event. It is a type of damage to the mind that can leave you with an overwhelming amount of stress, fear, and anxiety. These emotions can impact your ability to live a “normal” life and make it difficult to cope. For many, traumatic experiences involve a threat to your safety through physical harm, but any situation or event that leaves you feeling overwhelmed, frightened, or helpless can be considered traumatic. It may be a car accident, a medical emergency, childhood abuse, or sexual assault. For others, it can be something like a surgery or the loss of a loved one. Traumatic experiences aren’t limited to a specific type of event, how it impacts you physically, mentally, and emotionally defines trauma.

Here at Friends In Transition Counseling we address and help with a variety of traumas including,

Psychological Trauma

Racial and Ancestral trauma occurs among Black, Indigenous People of Color and is related to experiences of racism, oppression, discrimination and other violent experiences. Ancestral trauma involves the intergenerational transmission of trauma related symptoms, customs and adaptation from previous generations.

Workplace Trauma

Workplace Trauma is trauma that occurs due to workplace stress, oppression and systemic issues that create psychological, physical or emotional injury. Workplace trauma is common among marginalized populations as well as individuals who have experienced workplace violence (e.g. school shootings, etc).

Childhood Trauma

Childhood Trauma is trauma that occurs in childhood. We work with both children and adult survivors of childhood trauma including community and familial violence, abuse and neglect.

The impacts of trauma can look different for everyone, and it can impact you in various ways including. Physically trauma can cause you to have reoccurring nightmares, difficulty concentrating, aches and pains, and being frightened very easily.

Emotionally and psychologically traumatic events can cause a relentless sense of helplessness and no matter how hard you try, you feel like there’s nothing you can do to escape the anxiety you feel and the desire to withdraw from family, friends, and life in general. Many people experience panic attacks, and what they consider to be irrational mood swings and irritability.

These symptoms can be draining and hard to manage, but the good news is that you can overcome these emotions and heal from your trauma.

Trauma Therapy Can Help You Feel At Peace

All of our sessions begin with a consultation, this is a time for us to not only learn about you but for you to learn about us. We want to make sure that you feel comfortable with one of our specialized counselors before we start our sessions.

 In your sessions, we’ll learn about your trauma experiences, what has worked in the past for you, what hasn’t worked, and utilize that information to partner with you to develop a plan for our work together. Our clinicians are all trained in evidenced-based, culturally sensitive trauma theory and intervention including:

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR),

This practice consists of connecting the traumatic memories you have with new information. The stressful thoughts and emotions you once felt are blended with new positive thoughts and emotions.

Brainspotting (BSP)

This practice is centered around the concept that the way you look or gaze can affect the way you feel. During brainspotting, we help people position their eyes in ways that help them target sources of negative emotion.

Our therapists also practice Trauma Focused- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Expressive Art modalities.

You May Still Have Some Questions About Trauma Therapy

What if talking about my trauma makes my symptoms worse?

Talking about trauma is the first step to your healing. By talking about what you experienced you can begin to understand how you have been impacted, how it continues to show up in your life, and how you can manage it. While your experiences may cause symptoms like anxiety and fear to appear, our job is to help you work through it.

However, by no means do we expect you or will force you to open up more than you feel comfortable doing. We want you to take your time and feel as comfortable as you can about such an emotional experience.

 Our counselors specialized in Trauma Therapy will be sure to help you navigate the best way to approach your trauma and strategies to cope with it.

How do I know if what I experienced is trauma?

Any experience that has left you feeling distressed, anxious, and excessively fearful can be identified as trauma. There is no cookie cutter mold for what trauma looks like or what it is. If you feel you have experienced trauma, please do not hesitate to schedule a consultation.

What if other issues come up while talking about my trauma?

This isn’t uncommon – trauma can be connected to depression, social isolation, withdrawal, and issues you didn’t even realize you were facing. However uncovering other issues is a good thing. What better place to uncover and identify them than in the therapist’s office? We want to help you heal whatever it is you may be facing, trauma and beyond.

You Can Heal

If you would like to schedule an appointment or discuss any questions you may have regarding Trauma Therapy, please contact us. We try to get back to all voicemails and email within 24-hours.