Feel trapped in overdrive – on edge, irritable, ready to snap?
Do you experience poor concentration or confusion, or feel easily overwhelmed?
Do you suffer from trauma related scars, nightmares, or flashbacks?
Do you avoid situations or reminders of the traumatic event?
Are you suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or depression?
You should know you are not alone.
A study published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress revealed that post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is perhaps more common than you think. Just over eight percent of people in our community will experience PTSD in their lifetimes, 4.7% within the past year, and 3.8% in the past six month period. When we include those who also suffer following significant trauma but don’t fit typical PTSD criteria, the statistics become as worrying as they are staggering.
This means that millions of Americans continue to suffer from the devastating after effects of traumatic experience.
Trauma can alter how the brain functions, and its signs and symptoms can vary from finding it difficult to trust and being constantly on guard, to sudden panic and intrusive, anxiety-ridden thoughts. Trauma, without question, can significantly lessen your quality of life.
And while the signs and symptoms can feel complex and at times overwhelming, feeling better is more than possible. In fact, with trauma therapy we expect you will begin feeling better as we implement our compassionate and client-focused evidence-based techniques and strategies together.
We’ve helped countless people to gain positive ground over their traumatic experiences in our safe, supportive environment. We offer a variety of therapeutic approaches to best support you and work with you as an equal collaborator in your treatment and healing.
I am EMDR trained and currently in training for Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. I am a strong believer in integrating neurobiological and body work to fully heal the mind, body and spirit from trauma.
What is EMDR therapy?
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and other distressing life experiences, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, and panic disorders. EMDR therapy is extensively researched and widely recognized as effective trauma therapy. EMDR therapy is recognized as evidenced-based treatment for PTSD and other trauma and stressor disorders in treatment guidelines published by the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies, the World Health Organization, and a growing number of national and international organizations. Treatment guidelines are based on reviews that evaluate the research of established evidence-based mental health treatments.
How does EMDR therapy affect the brain?
Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While many times traumatic experiences can be managed and resolved spontaneously, they may not be processed without help.
Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create feelings of overwhelm, of being back in that moment, or of being “frozen in time.” EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories, and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered, but the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.
What is Sensorimotor Psychotherapy?
Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (SP) is a complete therapeutic modality for trauma and attachment issues. SP welcomes the body as an integral source of information which can guide resourcing and the accessing and processing of challenging, traumatic, and developmental experience. SP is a holistic approach that includes somatic, emotional, and cognitive processing and integration. SP is a comprehensive treatment approach developed by Pat Ogden, PhD. Some therapists use SP in addition to other treatment approaches to include the body as a valuable piece of one’s experience. SP is informed by research in physiology, neuroscience, psychology, and sociology. Several Hakomi principles also guide this approach, as Dr. Ogden founded a branch of the Hakomi Institute, Hakomi Integrative Somatics, which is known today as Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute.