ABOUT TRAUMA
Trauma is any deeply and disturbing experience that results in intense emotional reactions and often leaves us feeling overwhelmed and helpless. I have found, particularly through the somatic work I have studied, that keys to healing trauma involve: *learning how our developmental attachment losses have become disconnected parts of our sense of self;
*increasing our emotional and interpersonal
capacities and skills to limit re-activations;
*learning awareness and processing skills to safely
recognize and integrate anxiety, dissociative
defenses and self-judgments;
*accessing, learning from and integrating our
somatic and bodily experiences with our sense of
a whole Self;
*expanding our mindfulness, self-care and
resilience behaviors and strategies.
Experiences that may result in trauma responses include:
*profound and ongoing experiences of loss, inconsistent attachment and helplessness during early childhood;
*circumstances that include violence, shock or physical pain, whose duration and intensity overwhelms our
capacity to safely manage or make sense of it;
*intense responses to bodily injury, physical accidents or the devastation of natural disasters.
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Any of these experiences may result in distressing states of anxiety, abandonment fears or dread that we naturally suppress as much as we can so we can feel safe.
We may have developed ways to script our present so that past emotionally intolerable trauma re-experiences would never happen again and can seem to have been safely forgotten.
Therapy can supportively unpack, re-examine, learn from and process these past stories and experiences so they do not inhibit or replicate in the present.
I believe that human beings are inherently resilient and neurologically programmed to survive. We often forget this and lose sight of our strengths. Part of my job as a therapist is to provide a place of safety where clients can reclaim and develop their inner strengths and resources. Resilience in the face of traumatic anxiety comes from self-awareness of internal resources and skills, which includes an increased ability to shift attention between past and present with safety, self-care and competence. Our ability to observe ourselves with curiosity and empathy, allows us to more fully experience a grounded and empowered Self in the present.
“The body and mind have a natural inherent capacity to heal.” Elaine Miller-Karas, from “About the Trauma Resiliency Model”
If you are suffering from the effects of past traumatic experiences, I can provide a short clinical assessment to determine if my approach would be helpful for you, as well as suggest other alternative treatments, therapists or resources as needed.