trauma

This word means something different to each of us according to our experiences. It generally refers to any experience in which you feel your life was threatened or safety was put at risk in a way that would result in intense physical harm, having witnessed someone experiencing this, or sexual abuse. Then there is the abuse that cannot be observed through marks on your body, psychological control and abuse over time. 

No matter the type of abuse or traumatic experience, it changes the way your brain responds to the world around you and changes the way you see yourself in relation to the world around you. This level of change can bring with it a lot of pain and suffering and a lot of learned skills that can make us stronger and more resilient people. 

When treating trauma I feel the most effective strategies are dynamic and experiential. This means interactive and felt through the senses. Trauma is information stored in our body and brain that is used by the brain to avoid future harm. The downside to this warning system is that it can be activated by things that are not actually harmful and this can disrupt functioning in life and relationship stability. It can also create a hypersensitivity in ways that did not exist before, manifesting in irritability and extreme frustration, or numbness and apathy. 

In all cases when you experience trauma you release a piece of yourself in that experience and the brain tells you not to have anything to do with that part of you because that is where the pain is. Retrieving this piece of you and becoming whole again is what reduces the suffering, not being fragmented. 

Using Gestalt techniques as a foundational framework, The therapy style I offer is oriented toward this goal, of becoming whole. The techniques used focus on the body and the information it has stored in it that can be used to call these pieces home so that you can increase your strength and confidence. 

Contact me for a free consultation to learn more.