Healing After Trauma

Trauma is caused by childhood abuse, natural disasters, intimate partner violence, war, rape, or exposure to someone else experiencing an accident, or a sudden death. Sometimes this trauma is chronic and an individual lives through recurrent traumatic incidents over a long period of time. These events may be difficult to talk about or even to remember and feelings of safety in your day-to-day life may be hard to come by. When we begin therapy, there will be no expectation for you to follow any set time-line - I believe everyone starts to heal from a different place and healing looks different for everyone.

First we will establish safety. We will develop a therapeutic relationship based on trust and informed consent. Through conversation, I will get to know you, your strengths, and your history of trauma. We will also identify strategies for avoiding and handling situations that may trigger traumatic memories or emotional responses. As we move through this first step at a pace that prioritizes your feelings of safety and trust, we will begin to establish the therapeutic space as a controlled environment for you to confront the traumatic event.

Next we will talk about the traumatic event or events. This is difficult and courageous and we may need to revisit the stabilization and safety we created at the beginning. This process is not linear and it is okay to take a step back if it becomes too much. Together we will start to understand how trauma has affected your beliefs about yourself, others and the world around you. You will have the time and space you need to mourn pieces of yourself that you lost and rewrite your narrative in a way that is not marred by shame, guilt, or fear.

Moving forward, our aim will be to help you reconnect and meet the person you are after the trauma with love, appreciation, and compassion. Our focus as we work on this, will be to let go of the trauma's hold on your life and self-discovery. While traumatic events leave a lasting impact, the recovery process can also lead to positive change. I would be honored to help you take your first steps towards healing and eventually, post-traumatic growth.