You feel stuck in the past, unable to move forward with your life.
You can't control the flashbacks; when they come, what they bring, or how you react to them.
You are constantly hyper aware of your surroundings, needing to feel prepared and/or in control.
You stay quiet about it, not wanting to burden others, be vulnerable, or relive the experience.
Experiencing trauma can impact you on so many different levels. It can leave you feeling numb/shut down or agitated/on high alert. It can intrude into your life on its own terms, either in flashbacks or nightmares, or stay dormant until triggered by something in your environment. It can sometimes be completely incapacitating and feel out of control.
Trauma isn't something people can just "get over"
If trauma isn't dealt with or processed through effectively, it becomes like a spider web making its way through many different aspects of your life. The problem is, working through it can be incredibly daunting, even scary sometimes. Often, due to not having the inner resources necessary, the reaction becomes turning to unhealthy ways of dealing with the emotional pain (isolation, substance use, destructive relationships, and self harm to name a few). It doesn't have to be this way, you can work towards freedom from the past.
We currently have two therapists trained in EMDR therapy currently accepting clients. EMDR is a leading trauma therapy, which has shown to be effective in treating trauma and allowing your brain to actually process what has happened instead of shutting down. Get to know and to determine if either would be a good fit for you.
"Even if we don't have the power to choose where we come from, we have the power to choose where we go from here."
Steven Chbotsky
What counts as trauma? How do I know if this applies to me?
Trauma is "a deeply distressing or disturbing experience" and "emotional shock following a stressful event or physical injury". It is a broad definition for a reason, as it is not the event alone that is traumatizing, but an individuals experience of the event that is most important. Some examples of big traumatic events are:
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Car accidents
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Physical assault
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Witnessing violence or death
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Sexual assault
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Natural disasters
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Childhood abuse/neglect
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Surgery/birth trauma
We can work together to build the coping skills and strategies you need, allowing you to feel capable to begin addressing the trauma. We can process through your trauma together, and help you to move on with your life in healthy way.