Is A Distressing Experience From Your Past Keeping You From Being Present?

Are you struggling to process a difficult event or experience? 

Has lingering fear caused you to feel paralyzed in everyday situations? 

Is it beginning to feel like your past is haunting you? 

Maybe you suffered a troublesome upbringing. You may be the child of physically or verbally abusive parents, or perhaps you experienced severe neglect. An instance of childhood sexual or emotional abuse may have caused you to feel insecure in your relationships, or maybe the impact of early trauma has created other adverse effects on your life today.

Perhaps your distress is the result of an experience you had as an adult. You may have served in the military or as a first responder, working under highly stressful and sometimes tragic conditions. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is particularly common in these populations and often a reason for seeking treatment. 

Alternatively, you may be a civilian who has survived a frightening accident or attack. As a result, you have become hypervigilant or overly cautious. Perhaps you’re always creating an exit strategy or triggered by everyday scenes and noises. 

Having endured trauma, you may feel that painful memories from your past constantly interrupt your focus. You may experience nightmares or other visceral responses that can feel out of your control. And though you go out of your way to avoid thinking about what happened to you, you can’t help but feel the impact of trauma in every aspect of your life. 

Healing is possible, and a life that is not dictated by a painful past awaits you. With trauma therapy at Surf Ridge Counseling, you can learn to live in the now and look to your future with optimism.

Traumatic Responses Affect Over Half Of The General Population

Though PTSD is prevalent among members of the military and first responders, the VA estimates that 60% of women and 50% of men experience at least one trauma in their lives. Women are more likely to be survivors of sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse, while men are more likely to be survivors of physical assault, combat or accidents. 

These examples of trauma are only a few common events that cause a traumatic response, however. There are many kinds of distress that can be characterized as trauma. 

If you or someone close to you experienced physical harm, severe emotional distress, or a threat to your well-being, you may be struggling with symptoms of PTSD. And though two people who experienced the same event may have varying emotional responses, you are not at fault if you’re suffering physically, emotionally, or mentally from the lingering effects of trauma. 

Your Initial Response To Trauma Usually Determines The Long-Term Effects Of Distress

When you experience trauma, you may form beliefs that negatively impact your life. When triggered, you recreate the visceral response you experienced at the time of the trauma. 

It’s understandable then that you may have sought out self-medication or other forms of relief to help you forget the pain. Perhaps you use activities like exercise or shopping to excess. Or maybe you use substances to numb your feelings and emotions. This behavior is incredibly common and in fact, it’s estimated that close to a quarter of people in substance abuse treatment are also struggling with PTSD.

You may have even already tried seeking a therapist to help you process your trauma, only to have ineffective results. But it is possible move on and escape the cycle. 

With Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and other effective treatment methods, you can learn to move through your trauma and find relief from symptoms of PTSD.

Therapy For Trauma Gives You A Chance To Feel Safe To Explore And Process Your Past 

Though talk therapy has proven useful in helping clients to build coping skills and emotional resilience, trauma experts have identified a few specific approaches that are particularly effective in treating PTSD. 

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) is a behavioral method used for both children and adolescents up to 19 that is specifically designed to normalize your trauma so you can talk about it. Similarly, Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) challenges self-beliefs that are unhelpful to your healing. 

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR, evaluates the body’s physical response to traumatic memories while using eye movement to lessen distress. Because EMDR allows you to physically process—rather than verbally process—traumatic experiences, it’s considered a gentle and highly effective therapy. 

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy can be beneficial when used in conjunction with EMDR. Because IFS is rooted in identifying and aligning the inner parts of yourself, it can allow your mind and body to feel in harmony before you undergo trauma treatment using EMDR.

How I Approach Trauma Treatment At Surf Ridge Counseling

As your therapist, I will use a combination of these evidence-based approaches to help you heal from PTSD. Beginning with an intake that covers your background and symptoms, I will work to understand which methodology will offer you meaningful and lasting solutions. 

As we collaborate to understand the why behind your traumatic response, you can begin to uncover the root of your distress. And if EMDR is used, you can begin to feel relieved of the visceral discomfort you feel when triggered by stress. 

I create a safe environment where you will feel cared for and heard. Consider me your agent of hope invested in your healing. Working together, we will help you move from a life of painful past experiences to a flourishing future. It’s all possible with trauma therapy at Surf Ridge Counseling.   

Maybe It’s Time To Seek Therapy For Your Trauma or PTSD, But You Still Have Questions… 

I worry that people will think I’m crazy for seeking the help of a therapist for my trauma.

We cannot control what others do or think of us—we can only control our reaction to them. 

In therapy, you can learn to see that feeling better is more important than what other people think. Not to mention, mental health is becoming less stigmatized, with more and more people seeking therapeutic treatment for trauma. 

Our sessions are governed by federal HIPAA law, which mandates that anything you say in therapy is confidential. There are few exceptions to this rule—including disclosure of harm to yourself or others—but I will make sure you are fully aware of these guidelines before starting treatment. 

How long does trauma treatment take? 

Because your trauma response relies heavily on the emotional and physical resources available when your trauma took place, the length of treatment will vary greatly depending on the pattern that’s keeping you stuck. 

Though time spent in therapy will vary from person to person, my clients typically begin to see relief in a matter of weeks—especially when EMDR is used. 

Therapy is just too expensive—I can just process my trauma on my own.

You deserve to find relief from the adverse effects of trauma. In therapy, you can better understand your emotions and see why your well-being is important. 

I take insurance and if a provider does not cover you, I offer a sliding scale. 

A Hopeful Future Is Possible 

You don’t have to live in the harmful cycle of trauma any longer; with therapy at Surf Ridge Counseling, you can process your pain, heal, and move forward. 

To schedule a free, 15-minute consultation to find out more about how I can help, please email me or call (828) 237 – 2887. 

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