Trauma

You’ve experienced something traumatic, and things haven’t been the same since.

You thought you could somehow just get over it, but you haven’t. It’s hard enough to have experienced this, and now on top of that, you’re upset with yourself for not doing better. You’re anxious, upset, sad, emotional. One minute you’re fine and the next you’re completely not. You struggle to keep all this hidden and wonder if others notice.

Logically you know that what happened wasn’t your fault, but you may find yourself dealing with a lot of shame and guilt, wondering if you somehow could have prevented what happened or if some defect or inadequacy is the reason for the event.

We want you to know that these are common reactions to experiencing trauma. The anxiety, the feeling of being on guard constantly. Being easily triggered into a near panic attack.

The fact of the matter is, trauma impacts not only your brain, but also your body.

And when your body gets a reminder of your trauma, your body reacts in the way, well, a body reacts to the trauma. This is not something you have a choice about. And it is normal. And most importantly, it can be treated using forms of therapy that address these reactions of the body and brain.

At Life Counseling Institute, we are trained in using what are called “bottom up” approaches to treating trauma, meaning we help you work with your body’s normal physiological response to being overwhelmed by the event. And when you learn to calm your body your brain will also calm down. You will feel better and no longer be triggered into a hyperactivated—or eventually, a flattened—state of arousal.

Some people are not even aware that they have experienced trauma.

Perhaps it was an event years ago. Perhaps it seemed normal to you. Perhaps it wasn’t a series of events but rather chronic emotional or physical abuse or neglect in your childhood. We also know that individuals raised by parents who were emotionally absent—not necessarily abusive, but just not emotionally present or available—are also likely suffering from what is known as attachment trauma, with all the same symptoms as those who were abused…only, adding t the difficulty, they don’t even realize it.

Trauma counseling can help you:

• Find hope and know that you can reclaim the life you used to have
• Become calmer and less anxious, less hypervigilant
• Have strategies for coping more effectively with stressors
• Be less triggered by reminders
• Overcome the anxiety and depression that have been running the show
• Reconnect your body and brain and live in the present moment
• Create a narrative around what happened that allows you to find peace and move forward
• Regain your ability to focus and concentrate so you can work, go to school, and pay attention to your goals in life