Trauma Therapy

Do You Find Yourself Reliving Distressing Traumatic Memories?

Are you suffering from intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, and negative beliefs? Do you ever wonder if your struggles are a result of trauma? Has past hurt made it hard to feel safe in your own shoes?

When you’re dealing with trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), you may avoid people, places and situations that remind you of disturbing experiences. If your trauma stems from relationships, you may have trust issues or worry that you’re not worthy of anyone’s love. Perhaps you struggle with persistent negative beliefs, such as: I’m a bad person. No one can be trusted. The world is completely dangerous. Yet as hopeless as you may feel, you’re determined to find someone who can help you work through the pain of the past.

You May Feel Numb, Detached, And Alienated From Other People

Trauma can lead to depression, anxiety, and self-destructive behaviors like drug and alcohol abuse. By the same token, it can also cause feelings of numbness and detachment. Life may feel dreamlike and unreal, like you’re not really present in your body or you’re watching life from the sidelines.

Additionally, you may feel estranged from friends and family who don’t understand what you’re going through. Other people may tell you invalidating things and say that your problems “aren’t that bad.” Even the ones who try to help you may not know how to show support.

If you want to find someone who supports you unconditionally, I encourage you to connect with me. As a trauma-informed therapist, my goal is to help you overcome the pain of the past, find a sense of calmness in the present, and move confidently into the future.

Many Forms Of Trauma Fly Under The Radar And Aren’t Acknowledged By Society

Trauma is more common than most people realize. It can impact anyone at any age and affect whole communities as well as individuals. In addition to examples of Big “T” trauma, such as abuse, assault, and military combat, there are many examples of trauma that may fly under the radar. These are known as little “t” traumas and can take place at any time across someone’s lifespan.

Any experience that causes distress or a sense of powerlessness counts as little t trauma. Examples of little t trauma can include neglect, chronic illness, financial stress, workplace issues, living under systemic oppression, and suffering from alcohol and substance addiction.

Oftentimes, the effects of little t trauma can have the same impact as the effects of Big “T” trauma. Unfortunately, many people do not recognize these ongoing disturbances as traumatic experiences. As a result, many trauma survivors are hesitant to seek support.

Our Culture Encouraged Whole Generations To Ignore Trauma

Getting support for mental health issues has been stigmatized over many generations in our nation’s history. As a result, many older adults may have lived with trauma for most of their lives without ever acknowledging it. They simply repressed their emotions as their parents and grandparents may have done and did what their culture pressured them to do—stuffed their feelings down, pushed through, and focused on getting ahead in life.

Living with trauma is hard for anyone, but it is especially hard when you feel alone and isolated with no one that you can confide in. Without support, traumatic memories can become “stuck” in the brain, making you feel as if the past is happening in the present.

Thankfully, it is possible for these memories to become “unstuck” and linked with healthy and adaptive memories. With my compassionate, empowering approach to trauma and PTSD counseling, you have the opportunity to resolve distressing memories and work towards a brighter future.

Trauma Therapy Is A Chance To Find Validation, Acceptance, And Relief

In the past, people may have doubted you, questioned you, or told you to just “push through” and “get over it.” In trauma therapy, I am here to provide unconditional support and cultivate a safe space for you to resolve past hurt and find a path towards peace and fulfillment.

Safety is essential to the healing process—you have control over your treatment and there is no rush to open up about your trauma right away. As we work through the pain of the past, we will also work on developing coping skills for regulating your symptoms in the here and now. I want to help you build on your strengths and utilize your innate gifts and talents.

What To Expect In Sessions

When you’ve experienced trauma, you are more likely to perceive threats in the present. Therapy can help you understand how these perceptions of threats contribute to feeling anxious and depressed. You will learn to make connections between the past and present and understand how certain patterns of behavior may be tied to past trauma. For instance, if you experienced betrayal in a past relationship, you may avoid getting intimate or emotionally close with someone new.

In addition to helping you expand your awareness, you will have the opportunity to learn self-regulation skills to calm your mind and body and dial down your trauma responses. Trauma keeps you in a state of high alert; trauma therapy can help you reduce your sense of alertness and maintain moment-to-moment awareness. Through mindfulness and grounding skills, you can weaken your stress reactions and strengthen your sense of confidence and self-compassion.

Tailoring Your Treatment Plan

Everyone’s story is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach to trauma counseling. That said, in addition to utilizing Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), the three main approaches that influence my work are trauma-informed care, Forward Facing Trauma Therapy, and Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR).

Trauma-informed care is about creating a safe, empowering space to work through distressing memories. Forward Facing Trauma Therapy seeks to help you monitor your stress responses and resolve the perceived threats that are so common for trauma survivors. Finally, EMDR is an approach that can help you unlock the feelings, sounds and images associated with traumatic memories. It is an eight-phase process that encourages you to release those negative associations and take control of your healing.

Unresolved trauma can be progressive in nature and often builds up slowly. Trauma counseling is a chance to interrupt that progression so that it doesn’t control your life. With my compassionate support, you have the chance to restore your sense of hope and experience peace of mind.

You May Have Some Concerns About Trauma and PTSD Treatment…

I know how stressful it can be to talk about trauma. Thankfully, most of our work together will focus on your daily stressors and regulating your response to them. I want you to experience peace in the here and now. What’s more, the methods I use for trauma therapy do not require you to share your story in detail. With EMDR therapy, you can discuss your experience as much or as little as you’d like.
I would want the same thing for myself and anyone else suffering from painful emotions. That’s why we will customize a treatment plan for working towards relief and achieving your goals. Although I understand how important it is to experience long-term relief, the early stages of therapy can focus on learning and implementing practical skills for short-term symptom reduction. Once you feel an improvement in day-to-day life, we can begin the deeper work of addressing unresolved trauma.
It’s human nature to compare your situation to other people’s. The problem is that if you look hard enough, there is always someone who seems to have it worse (or better) than you. This is why I encourage you to focus on yourself and your own healing. Your journey is unique and no one else knows what it’s like to be you. Regardless of what other people are going through, you deserve to live a life free of emotional pain.

Your Past Does Not Define You

If you’re tired of living in the shadow of the past, I would be honored to help you find a path forward. I provide both online and in-person therapy in Wilton Manors and the greater Fort Lauderdale, Florida area. Most major health insurances are accepted in-network and I also participate with clients for out-of-network health insurance benefits. To get started, you can contact me for a free 15-minute phone consultation.

Contact Me Today