It's normal to have upsetting memories, feel on edge, or have trouble sleeping after a difficult or traumatic event. When these difficulties become part of your everyday life, it may be time to seek help.

All kinds of trauma can create stress reactions. You may feel unable to stop thinking about what happened or have a sense of always feeling “on guard” after a traumatic event. You may feel limited in your day-to-day life by attempting to avoid reminders of what you went through, or not enjoying the things you used to enjoy. You may be struggling to feel like yourself or having trouble connecting with others since the event.

For some, these difficulties lessen after a few weeks or months following the traumatic event. For others, these difficulties do not go away. In fact, these difficulties can stick around long after the traumatic event, and can affect your ability to function at work or school, at home, and in relationships. If you have found that your difficulties haven’t gone away over time, trauma therapy can help.

Do I Need Trauma Therapy?

Experiencing a traumatic event can affect you in many ways, ranging from mild to disruptive and overwhelming. Your mind may be overrun by fear, irritability, or despair. You may have difficulty feeling joy or love, or struggle with trust or self-blame, leading to isolation.

Reactions to trauma can include problems with your thinking, such as trouble concentrating or difficulty making decisions.

Unexplained physical problems can also occur, like stomach upset or headaches. It’s not uncommon to cope with these difficulties through unhealthy behaviors like overeating, using alcohol or drugs, or neglecting self-care. If any of this resonates with you, I’m here to help.

Reactions to trauma make sense given what you’ve gone through.

A traumatic event is, by its nature, a life-changing experience. Our brains are wired to make sense of our experiences, and following a trauma, it can be difficult to make sense of anything. This can lead us to question ourselves, other people, and the world around us.

After experiencing a traumatic event, it's common to notice changes in your thoughts, behaviors, and emotions. However, if these changes last longer than a few weeks, they are unlikely to resolve on their own. Trauma therapy can help – these difficulties don't have to disrupt your everyday activities and relationships.

Through therapy, we can work to reduce your trauma-related difficulties and help you regain feelings of safety and purpose in your day-to-day life.

How Does Trauma Therapy Work?

For those who have experienced a traumatic event, it’s natural to want to avoid reminders of what we’ve gone through. While this can be helpful in the short term, avoiding these reminders can make trauma-related difficulties stick around and interfere in our lives. Part of the trauma therapy process is exploring thoughts, feelings, and actions that have been impacted by the traumatic event (in a safe and nonjudgmental space) which can lessen trauma-related difficulties over time.

My approach to trauma therapy includes evidence-based methods that will help us process and understand your traumatic experiences. Healing from trauma means different things for different people. For many people, trauma therapy can get rid of trauma-related difficulties altogether. Others find that they have fewer difficulties, or feel that their difficulties are less intense. Together, we’ll collaborate to understand and address how your trauma has impacted you and work to build the skills you need to live your life to its fullest potential.

It's important to have a space where you can feel safe in exploring the ways that trauma has affected you. I’m here to support you on this journey.