Trauma & PTSD

Trauma is a word that gets used a lot in today's conversation, but what does it really mean? By definition, trauma is the emotional responses to distressing events. However, trauma may be divided into "Big T" Trauma and "little t" trauma. 

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"Big T" Trauma includes the life threatening or intense fear inducing experiences. This may be abuse, a serious accident, a natural disaster, witnessing or being exposed to death, etc. "Little t" trauma refers to non-life-threatening experiences that cause significant disruption to emotional safety and well-being. These include emotional neglect, chronic criticism, bullying, stressful life transitions (e.g. break-up/job loss), etc. 

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People who experience either type of trauma may present with intrusive memories, avoidance behaviors, negative thoughts about oneself, feeling disconnected from oneself and/or others, social withdrawal, irritability/anger, heightened alertness/sensitivity, and physical responses like pain, nausea, headaches, etc. For people with more extreme traumatic experiences, they may develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. PTSD is a diagnosis that refers to symptomology of the highest degree in trauma responses and certain criteria must be met to receive this diagnosis. Even if you do not meet criteria for PTSD or another trauma-stress related disorder, it does not mean that your traumatic experienced have not impacted you.

 

Experiencing trauma does not always mean that you have PTSD or that it is the source of all of life's problems, but it may be important to explore the possible impact the experience had on you and how you view and operate within the world.  Whether Big T or little t, your trauma matters and should be taken seriously, especially if it impacts your functioning in relationships, employment, academics, self-care, emotional regulation, or daily-life. 

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How do we treat it?

First, it is important to understand what your individual experience was and how it affected you previously and today. Not all trauma's impact us and can influence each person differently, so I will never assume. We will explore what triggers are present, what negative beliefs you hold, how you have been coping up to this point (good or bad), and explore how a life not controlled by trauma might feel/look. We will work on resources development for self- and emotional regulation. 

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​Depending on those aspects and what you are looking for, I will utilize a blend of modalities to help you achieve your therapeutic goals. depending on the modality, will determine how in-depth into the experiences we will go. With trauma work, we go at your speed, and I will meet you where you are at in each session.

 

The modalities may include:

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• EMDR: Identify and process the traumatic memories that have affected your interpretation of the world, self, and safety using bilateral stimulation.

• CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): Understand how your thoughts impact your behaviors and influence your trauma symptoms.

• Mindfulness and self-compassion practices: Connect the mind and body and shift focus to the present moment.

• Somatic work: Identify how your body presents with trauma and shift your nervous system from "fight or flight" to safe and calm.​