TRAUMA
Counseling, Treatments & Services
Trauma-Focused Therapy is a particular therapy technique. It understands and emphasizes how traumatic stress affects a person's mental, behavioral, emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being.
This style of therapy is rooted in the understanding of the relationship between the traumatic experience and the person's mental, emotional, and behavioral responses. A therapist's desired goal of trauma-focused therapy is to provide skills and techniques to help their client, and resolve the negative impact of past experiences to the best of our ability.
What is Trauma Counseling?
Trauma has been defined as any event that is less than nurturing. With such a broad definition everyone has had some traumatic experiences in his or her life. However, for others the nature of traumatic experiences is much more clear. Therapists think in terms of two main types of trauma.
Big "T" trauma are those significant events that happened more rarely. This may be an assault or rape, a serious accident, a house fire, or some natural event such as a tornado, or even witnessing such a serious event. Feelings of being unsafe, hypervigilance, intrusive thoughts or images, nightmares, flashbacks, or other such symptoms are not uncommon reactions to big "T" traumas.
A pattern of hurtful events that continues over time is often referred to as "Complex Trauma." These events are abusive and may be verbal, emotional, relational, sexual, or even spiritual in nature. When a child grows up in an environment manifesting a pattern of hurtful events, negative messages about one's self are often internalized and an inability to experience safety and security in relationships is common. The impact of such abuse should not be minimized. Children do not "just grow out of it." These type abuse is also referred to as Developmental and Relational Trauma (DART).
Unfortunately abuse comes in many forms. Some forms of sexual abuse may be minimized. However, teasing, joking, unwanted touching, belittling, or other boundary violations are in fact abusive. More overt forms of physical and sexual abuse are unfortunately common in our society. The all too common adage that those things are in the past and you should "just get over it," are not unhelpful. In fact, they are hurtful, they minimize the pain of abuse, and often keep those abused trapped in their pain.
Counseling Alliance LLC therapists have advanced training in the treatment of multiple forms of trauma. Remember, help is just a phone call away.
HEAL from TRAUMA
If you are searching for a way to live life without trauma. Therapy may be your answer. We can talk about therapy options that might work for you.
What Are Different Types of Trauma?
Trauma is often defined as an event, or events, that exceed our ability to cope. Some of these events are horrific or life-threatening incidents that may result in emotional disorders. For example, trauma could cause intense anxiety, rage, depression, remorse of the survivor, or PTSD.
Other events may be less horrific, but repetitive. Unfortunately, this scenario, often called complex trauma, can have a greater negative impact upon us than the rare more severe event.
While the instigating occurrence(s) can outweigh the resources available, it is nevertheless possible to establish healthier ways of coping and reducing the impact of the event(s). Developmental and Relational Trauma Counseling, EMDR, psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) are just some of the ways our therapists help resolve the impact of trauma.
Trauma types could include:
- Developmental & Relational Trauma
- Complex Trauma
- Recovery from Abuse Trauma
- Acute Stress and PTSD
- Dissociation
Developmental and Relational Trauma
Author and speaker Pia Mellody wrote, "None of us escape childhood unscathed." Even when we have well-intentioned parents who are loving and caring, we in our childlike minds, often internalize negative messages. Common messages include:
- I'm not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, or some other negative message about ourselves.
- Other messages include believing our caregivers are unsafe, hurtful, unavailable, or some other negative message that results in us as children feeling very alone.
- Dr. Mellody defines abuse as "anything less than nurturing."
Unfortunately, we carry these negative internal messages into adulthood and they can powerfully impact our mental, emotional, spiritual health, relational, and even physical health as adults. And unfortunately, we often pass this woundedness on to our children, thus perpetuating generational trauma.
Therapists at Counseling Alliance® have advanced training in recognizing and treating developmental and relational trauma. Stop the cycle. Bring healing to yourself as well as others in your family.
There is hope for a happier life without trauma.
Relationship Trauma
The average couple waits about 7 years to address issues in their relationship. These chronic, unresolved issues can lead to a lack of connection, trust, and ultimately to separation or divorce. There is help! Two options are available. Traditional weekly appointments are favored by some as a way to find frequent and ongoing help. A JUMPSTART TO HEALING® may be right for you and your partner if:
- You need a relationship tune-up
- Are in a relationship crisis
- Have discovered infidelity
- Are attempting to reconcile
- Are considering if marriage is right for you
- Geographic distance prevents you from having weekly sessions. We have, and continue, to serve people throughout the Midwest and beyond.
Recovery From the Trauma of Abuse
Abuse occurs in many ways, can happen at anytime regardless of gender, age, or place in life. Abuse also occurs in different areas of life.
Sexual abuse unfortunately occurs in childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and even in one's senior adult years. Sexual abuse is essentially any sexual contact or experience that is unwanted and can range from teasing or touching to assault. It can be a one time event (e.g., rape), or it can be ongoing. The impact of sexual abuse can be very debilitating and if left untreated those effects can last a lifetime.
Physical abuse can also happen across the lifespan. Pushing, shoving, slapping, or abusive actions that are more violent impacts those abused in many ways. A lack of trust, a loss of feeling safe, the inability to establish secure relationships, even questions about where was God when this was happening are not uncommon.
Emotional/verbal abuse is often the result of one person controlling, belittling, shame, or otherwise demeaning a more vulnerable person. Those abused often internalize negative beliefs about the abuser, themselves, or even life in general. Feelings of disconnectedness, lack of a safety, fear, or unhealthy ways of coping with difficult memories and or emotions through food, substances, or other distracting behaviors are not uncommon.
Spiritual abuse doesn't get as much attention as the other areas noted above. This does not mean it is more rare, or less impactful. Spiritual abuse can include such things as demanding another person believes the same way as the person making the demands, unrealistic expectations, excessive or inappropriate disciplines for failing to meet a particular standard, or, using Scripture or one’s faith system to coerce certain behavior from another person. This could be a minister, a spouse, a parent, or other significant person in an individual’s life. Just a couple of the consequences of spiritual abuse include: feeling as though you never quite measure up, or an inability to live out your faith in the manner you believe is appropriate. In essence, the religiously abusive individual denies others of their own reality with regard to what is right, true, and appropriate.
Acute Stress & PTSD
Traumatic events include some powerful and unique features. Chief among these is an event that is either experienced or witnessed as life-threatening.
Initially we look at this from the perspective of Acute Stress. This is what a person experiences in the first few days or weeks following a traumatic event. Just some of the symptoms include:
- distressing memories, dreams, flashbacks, or prolonged emotional distress.
- an inability to experience positive emotions
- efforts to avoid memories, thoughts, or feelings associated with the event.
When these symptoms worsen, or last more than a month Posttraumatic Stress Disorder may be involved.
Again, the therapists at Counseling Alliance® have advanced training in helping a person work through the effects of having experienced a traumatic event. Don't suffer alone. Contact us today to begin the healing journey.
Dissociation
Dissociation can be a debilitating disorder that impacts a small percentage of the population (about 1.5% of adults). Those who have this disorder may be in therapy as long as seven years on average before they receive an accurate diagnosis. Symptoms include:
- Experiencing two or more personality states (feeling as though you are someone else).
- Losing time. Having gaps in the day when you cannot remember where you were of what you were doing.
Depersonalization. This may be experienced as:
- Feelings of unreality, detachment, or being an outside observer to one's thoughts, sensations, body or actions.
Derealization. This may be experienced as feeling detached to one's surroundings. (e.g. individuals or objects are experienced as unreal, dreamlike, foggy, or distorted.)
As noted, this disorder is rare, but elements of this do exist. If you have experienced these symptoms please know two things:
- This is a reaction to having experienced significant trauma in your life. You are not "crazy," you are a victim of trauma.
- Help is available.
If you feel as though you have experienced any of these symptoms a call to Counseling Alliance® is recommended. Therapists can conduct an assessment that will help you determine what the next best action step for you is, and get you started on the healing journey.