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Trauma Therapy

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“Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.”

 

Mary Oliver

Do I Have PTSD?

Do you feel tense and unable to relax even though there is nothing immediately threatening in your life? Do you react with emotions out of proportion to the situation? Do you avoid thinking about painful and overwhelming experiences? Or, do negative thoughts about the past keep intruding on your waking moments and in your nightmares? You may struggle with feelings of shame or guilt. You may hold strong negative beliefs about yourself such as, “I am a bad person. I am unworthy and unloveable. There is something terribly wrong with me.” You may be irritable and have anger outbursts that feel out of your control. You may have difficulties forming deep and intimate relationships because you are afraid of people hurting or leaving you. You may have a hard time remembering painful events or periods in your life. You may be using food, sex, work, or substances to cope with the pain.

If you are experiencing some of these symptoms, you may have unprocessed trauma and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Trauma and PTSD are not limited to people who have experienced extreme violence, disaster, war, or accidents. You can experience trauma or PTSD symptoms from overwhelming, upsetting, or frightening experiences where you:

  • felt stuck, out of control, and unable to escape;
  • felt your life and/or your loved ones’ lives were at stake;
  • witnessed life-threatening incidents happen to someone else and felt helpless;
  • experienced violations of your boundaries and body;
  • experienced chronic stress;
  • experienced neglect of your physical and emotional needs.

With the global pandemic, natural disasters, sociopolitical upheaval, economic uncertainty, and environmental crisis of the past several years, many people have experienced prolonged stress and tension that were beyond their ability to cope. A study of five countries including the United States estimated that 13% of people reported post-traumatic symptoms related to the pandemic.

If you are experiencing trauma and PTSD symptoms, you don’t have to struggle through it alone. Therapy with a trauma specialist can provide you relief. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to find out more about trauma therapy with one of our compassionate and skilled counselors today. 

Trauma happens when you go through something devastating, overwhelming, and/or terrifying without the chance to feel your feelings and make sense of the experience. These trauma experiences can be a single event, multiple events, or chronic toxic stress that is above and beyond your capacity and resources to cope. When you could not process the emotions, they become locked and stuck in your mind and body. It is as if your emotions became frozen in the time of trauma. Sometimes the trauma gets trapped in your mind and body enough that you develop Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). ​If you’re experiencing some of these symptoms, it’s the perfect time to reach out and begin trauma therapy.

Some of the symptoms of trauma and PTSD include:

  • Recurrent, intrusive images, thoughts, and perceptions
  • Recurrent distressing dreams or nightmares
  • Reliving the trauma through flashbacks, hallucination, illusions (e.g., seeing your attacker in a crowd of people)
  • Feeling emotionally distressed and physically reactive when you come into contact with people, places, or things that remind you of the trauma (e.g., news stories, going back to the place where the trauma occurred, etc.)
  • Avoiding anything that could remind you of the trauma
  • Having trouble remembering parts of the trauma
  • Struggling with negative beliefs about yourself; blaming yourself for what happened
  • Persistent negative feelings (e.g., horror, anger, guilt, shame, etc.)
  • Things that you used to enjoy no longer feel enjoyable
  • Feeling detached from the people that you love, feeling numb to emotions and physical sensations
  • Thoughts that you are better off dead; thoughts of harming yourself
  • Easily startled, feeling on-edge, constantly aware of your surroundings
  • Difficulty concentrating
  • Difficulty falling or staying asleep
  • Feeling that you are outside of your own body; feeling that the world is unreal 

Not all traumatic experiences cause trauma symptoms or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). For example, two people can experience the same car accident, and yet one may develop trauma symptoms while the other does not. Trauma symptoms can develop when there is a lack of support from family and friends who can help you identify, express, and make meaning of your emotions after a traumatic experience. 

The symptoms of trauma can be debilitating and significantly impact your daily functions, your relationship with others, and your ability to take care of yourself. You may find it more difficult to go to school, function at work, and stay engaged with your friends and family. You may be using substances, TV, food, work, or other things to excess in order to numb and avoid the painful memories. You may engage in self-sabotaging behaviors in your relationships or at work because deep down, you are afraid that you are bad or unworthy. You may find yourself having emotional reactions that seem out of your control and more extreme than the context calls for.
​If you have not had success in processing and healing from the trauma on your own, it’s time for some expert help and support from a skilled therapist. Trauma treatment may be necessary to address the past trauma experiences, relieve the symptoms of trauma and PTSD, and return you fully to yourself. 
 
When you experience something devastating, overwhelming, and/or terrifying, you often react from your animal brain, the part of your brain that focuses on survival above all. This part of the brain is called the limbic system and contains the fight, flight, or freeze reactions. The limbic system of the brain does not have a sense of time nor can it make meaning of your experiences. Without the opportunity to feel your emotions and make meaning of what happened during a trauma, the emotions become stuck in the limbic system. This is why if you are triggered by something that happened in the present that reminds you of the past trauma, and you will react with fight, flight, or freeze as if the trauma is occurring right now. Therefore, trauma treatment is focused on supporting your mind and body’s natural process to feel those emotions in the body and make sense of the trauma.
As trauma treatment may bring up a lot of difficult emotions, you and your therapist will focus on building up your coping strategies and protective factors. This means identifying and practicing strategies to reduce tension, soothe yourself, and care for your mind and body, as well as seeking support from friends and family. When you are ready, you will go through the trauma experiences slowly with your therapist. In the retelling process, your mind and body will experience and make sense of the emotions, thoughts, and beliefs in the safety of the therapy.

You will know that you are making progress in healing from past trauma when:

  • You are able to sleep through the night without nightmares
  • You are able to get through days and weeks without thoughts about the trauma experiences
  • You consistently feel safe and in control of your emotions and your life
  • You know that at your core, you are good, whole, powerful, and perfect in your imperfections
  • You have identified your strengths and resilience
  • You have forgiven yourself and found peace with the people who have hurt you
  • You are no longer defined by what happened
  • You are able to form healthy and intimate relationships and create a community of supportive and caring people
  • You have a renewed appreciation for your life and look forward to the future
  • You have regained a sense of clarity and purpose in life

Trauma therapy is not an easy or comfortable process. Trauma therapy can bring up difficult memories and emotions. In order to confront the past and finally be free of it, you may feel worse symptoms before you feel better. To get the most of your therapy, you can: 

  • Show up on time
  • Be consistent with attending sessions 
  • Give therapy a full try 
  • Be ready and motivated to make changes in your life 
  • Be open, honest and, vulnerable with your therapist
  • Feel your emotions 
  • Value directness in feedback from your therapist 
  • Apply your new knowledge and skills to your life 

Begin Trauma Therapy in Our Ballard Office

You don’t have to live with feeling stuck or held back by your past traumas. Trauma and PTSD symptoms do not have to be a barrier to a life worth living. ​If what you’ve read here resonates and you live in the Seattle area, we encourage you to reach out and contact us today. We can schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation and begin exploring how psychotherapy can help you on your journey toward healing. Please contact us if you have any questions or concerns regarding treatment. Someone from our team would be happy to address any questions you have about trauma or PTSD therapy.

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