Trauma Therapy
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Trauma Therapy
Are You Struggling To Find Fulfillment After Experiencing Trauma?
Do you still feel like past trauma affects your daily life, even if these events happened months or years ago? Is it difficult to regulate your emotions when you’re faced with stressful situations that bring up memories of your trauma? Have you withdrawn from your loved ones because you felt misunderstood or ashamed of what happened to you?
Perhaps you’ve been grappling with anxiety, depression, or mood swings, leaving you exhausted and irritable. When you’re reminded of your trauma, you suffer from flashbacks that leave you reeling, and at night, you might have nightmares that keep you tossing and turning for hours. You struggle to focus at work or in school, and you may have stopped pursuing your passions as a result.
It’s Hard To Break These Patterns On Your Own
If you’ve lived through trauma, you might feel as though you’re trapped by these difficult experiences. Maybe you’ve even pushed yourself to achieve certain milestones with the hopes that these accomplishments would boost your self-worth, yet your mental health is still suffering, and your achievements feel empty. You wish you had someone to lean on, but trauma makes it hard to form trusting relationships with others, and you may be isolated from your former support system.
You do not have to remain stuck in this cycle. By connecting with a therapist, you can identify the specific events and circumstances that contributed to your symptoms, release the shame you might feel around your past, and start living a life that is not defined by your trauma.
Cultural And Societal Factors Can Create Obstacles To Healing From Trauma
Countless people deal with trauma, but because societal norms discourage them from opening up about these difficult experiences, individuals assume that they are suffering alone or that they are at fault for what happened.
Many people face traumatic events that are rooted in prejudice or inequity, such as discrimination related to their race or gender. Others also struggle with trauma that stems from their relationships with their families. Sometimes, family members unconsciously exhibit the same harmful behavioral patterns over several generations, and in cultures that emphasize close-knit family units, it can be difficult to break these cycles.
Additionally, lots of people develop trauma after spending years working in toxic, high-pressure environments where they are faced with intense professional demands and have minimal support to fall back on. Educational environments that emphasize competitive achievements over emotional wellbeing can also contribute to chronic stress, trauma, and self-doubt.
The Stigma Against Therapy Holds People Back From Seeking Help
Some people try to deal with past trauma privately and end up tackling surface-level symptoms of anxiety or depression without addressing the roots of these issues. This might experience temporary relief, but this prevents long-term healing. Furthermore, some people who experience trauma eventually develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which can have severe physical and emotional symptoms that make it hard to function in everyday life.
Maybe you’ve been trying to overcome your trauma by yourself for a long time, and you’re tired of struggling on your own. In therapy, you can find the support you need to gain lasting relief from your symptoms and chart a new course.
Through Therapy, You Can Address The Root Causes Of Your Trauma
Even if you’ve been struggling with trauma or PTSD for years, therapy can pave the way for transformative changes. At Channeling Growth Therapy, our counselors approach treatment with cultural sensitivity in mind, and we will take into account how cultural, generational, racial, and gender issues might have affected your experiences with trauma.
Teen clients pursuing trauma therapy can attend sessions without their parents, and we can communicate with parents to provide suggestions for supporting their teen at home. We will check in with teens for permission before sharing any specific details with their parents.
What To Expect In Trauma Therapy Sessions
When you begin therapy, your counselor will create a safe space where you can delve into your past experiences as you feel comfortable. You will not be rushed into opening up about any details. Your therapist will help you understand how your trauma might be manifesting in your life today as symptoms like flashbacks, anxiety, or relationship issues. Throughout sessions, your counselor will guide you in building your “coping toolbox” with helpful skills for practicing mindfulness and regulating your emotions. Over time, you’ll work together to set long-term goals and celebrate your progress.
Treatment Approaches For Trauma Therapy
Your therapist will design a personalized, solution-focused treatment plan centered around your specific symptoms, needs, and goals for counseling. By leaning on your strengths throughout your healing journey, you’ll build your self-worth and discover just how capable you really are.
Living through trauma can leave you ruminating on unhelpful thought patterns. Through trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), you can engage in cognitive restructuring to challenge these patterns and gradually adopt new beliefs that better serve you. If you experienced childhood trauma, your counselor may incorporate attachment therapy into your treatment so that you can identify how trauma that occurred within your early relationships with caregivers could be affecting your relationships in adulthood.
Trauma can have a negative impact on your self-image. With narrative therapy, your counselor will help you shift the story you’ve been telling yourself about your past so that you can reclaim your identity. Additionally, you can learn to honor and accept your thoughts and feelings with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) rather than criticizing yourself for your complex reactions to trauma.
Your therapist might also introduce you to brainspotting to heal the brain-body connection and let go of physical tension from your trauma. You’ll also learn practical techniques and exercises for reducing the severity of your trauma symptoms outside of sessions, like mindfulness, grounding, and basic self-soothing routines to help you stay centered if you find yourself getting frustrated or upset.
With guidance from a therapist, you have the power to rewrite your own story. In therapy, you can learn how to honor and manage difficult emotions in a healthy way, reconnect with your loved ones, and rediscover your sense of purpose in life.
But You May Still Have Questions About Trauma Therapy…
Can therapy really help me recover from trauma?
Maybe you’ve been grappling with the effects of past trauma for years, or perhaps you’ve experienced multiple traumatic events that left you wondering if healing was truly possible. Therapy is a collaborative process, and by working closely with a compassionate therapist who takes a personalized approach to treatment, healing is certainly within your reach.
I’m ashamed of my past, and I’m nervous to open up to a therapist about my experiences.
You are not at fault for your traumatic experiences, and therapy can help you let go of any lingering shame around these events. Your therapist will allow you to work through sessions at your own pace. You do not have to share every detail of your trauma right away. Additionally, everything you share in sessions will remain confidential.
Everyone faces difficulties in life - is it really worth seeking professional support?
Our society is highly individualistic, and because people are discouraged from opening up about their mental health, you might question whether or not you really “deserve” support when healing from trauma. But in reality, genuine healing cannot happen in isolation. Healing within relationships can be transformative, and a qualified therapist can help you create a new support system.
Therapy Can Help You Rebuild Your Life After Trauma
If you’re ready to address your trauma in counseling and find freedom from your past, we encourage you to fill out our contact form, email our office at help@channelinggrowththerapy.com, or call us at 408-634-6506 to book a free, 15-minute consultation or schedule your first appointment.
