What is Trauma?
Trauma is an intense emotional response to a disturbing experience that impacts or threatens your mental health, physical body, or life. It often arises after experiencing stressful events.
Individuals struggling with trauma may experience:
- a decreased sense of security
- difficulty managing emotions
- intense anxiety
- helplessness
- intrusive memories
- feeling numb or disconnected
- inability to trust others.
What experiences can cause trauma?
A traumatic event can include anything an individual perceives as a threat to their mental well-being, physical body, or life . Trauma can result from:
- verbal, physical or emotional abuse
- neglect
- abandonment
- bullying
- death of a loved one
- any situation that makes you feel isolated or overwhelmed
- interpersonal violence
- illness or serious injury
- job loss
- witnessing accidents, death or traumatic situations.
life threatening circumstances (health diagnosis, violence, accidents, natural disasters, crime, near death experiences, violence, sexual assault)
It’s not the event itself that determines whether something is traumatic, but your personal emotional reaction to the event. The more scared and defenseless you feel, the more likely it is that you’ll be traumatized.
What is trauma-focused therapy?
Trauma-focused therapy helps people move through the emotional or psychological harm from a traumatic event. It provides supportive and compassionate care to help you start the healing process.
Benefits of trauma therapy
Trauma therapy can help you:
- learn coping skills
- address the the traumatic event
- process your feelings and emotions.
- reduce fear and avoidance of things that remind you of the traumatic experience.
- build trust with others
- offer validation
Trauma symptoms don’t disappear. It requires thoughtful and intentional healing to work through the effect of trauma. If you are looking for a safe place to move through the process we would be honored to support you.
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