trauma & relationship

Psychological trauma is when a person’s ability to cope: emotionally, psychologically, spiritually and physically, is overwhelmed.

Usually we think of this in the context of a sudden and unexpected event. The circumstances of the event commonly includes abuse of power, betrayal of trust, entrapment, helplessness, pain, confusion and loss. The person’s subjective experience of the trauma is what defines an experience as traumatic.

When I am working with survivors’ of trauma, the focus is on restoring a sense of trust and self agency. Neuroscience has offered tremendous research on the brain subjected to trauma. Post-traumatic stress is the result when trauma remains unprocessed or is not integrated into the sense of self. The biobehavioral goal is to “reset” the brain, create new neural pathways and a different response, rather than a reaction, to the memory of the trauma. This can be approached utilizing a wide variety of interventions: 

 hypnosis, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), breathwork, EMDR, yoga, meditation, affective experiential therapy (AEDP), 12 step programs, aromatherapy, art therapy in some combination of treatments.

Trauma counseling requires flexibility, creativity and ingenuity in the therapist, as each individual’s experience of trauma is unique. My therapeutic approach endeavors to create a safe environment for exploring your experiences and the symptoms can often provide the creative solutions for healing. Most of us experience the world more strongly in one or more sensory modalities: auditory, kinesthetic, olfactory, taste, visual. Healing through activating sensory experience in a new way, can be a powerful gamechanger.