Trauma Therapy
Treatment of complex PTSD and childhood trauma in Washington state
“There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.”
― Laurell K. Hamilton
Video features Yuliya in an interior space with colorful pillows and thinly-leafed green plants next to them, against a white wall. They are wearing aquamarine short sleeved-shirt and have short brown hair.
What is trauma?
Trauma, translated from Greek means “wound”.
While trauma can be a physical one - a broken arm, a head injury or a bruise, it can also be a psychological or emotional one, leaving scars invisible to the eye.
In most simple terms, trauma is a physiological response that bore no witness. It’s a fight/flight/freeze/fawn response that got stuck and was never named, addressed or soothed. It is something that happened to you and no one was there to make it better.
Contrary to what most people think, trauma is very common. You don’t need to have been a veteran with combat zone experience or a survivor of a natural disaster to suffer psychological trauma. While those examples certainly demonstrate a type of trauma - shock trauma, to be precise - there are many other types of trauma that can consist of small, repeated interactions/events/experiences that have left you feeling unseen, unheard, uncared for, neglected or forgotten.
Body responses
You may be easily triggered, or feel like your body has reactions of its own that you have difficulty controlling. You may experience digestive issues, stomach pains, chest pains, constricted breathing, etc.
Anxiety and/or Depression
You may find yourself experiencing crippling anxiety and/or depression. Along with this, you may have difficulty expressing yourself emotionally.
Anger, irritation, impulsivity
You may notice you experience anger and irritation that is out of proportion to whatever is going on around you.
Sleep disruption
You may sleep too little or too much, or have trouble falling asleep, or staying asleep. It’s not uncommon to have nightmares/disturbing dreams.
Increased reliance on external coping methods
You may find yourself frequently dissociating (not feeling time pass by, leaving your body), or turning toward substances, TV, video games, food, exercise, sex, etc.
Strained relationships
You may notice your interpersonal relationships are suffering. You may find it hard to connect to others, ask for help, or take in other’s care/help/love.
Trauma can show up as:
You are not damaged. You have lived through something damaging.
Healing from trauma is not only possible, but very likely in the context of a safe, validating relationship. Therapy can be that relationship, where your emotional safety and expression is prioritized, where you set the pace, and where stories and experiences that have harmed you can be told out loud, perhaps for the very first time.
How can therapy help?
Reach out and take the first step toward healing.
You don’t have to figure it all out on your own
Related posts
You may have heard the term cPTSD or complex PTSD but have wondered what it is and how it differs from traditional PTSD.
The truth is that while there are certain overlaps between the two terms and diagnoses, complex PTSD - also referred to as complex trauma - is unique in its presentation, symptomatology and treatment.
You only need to put the word “trauma” into a Google search to see thousands of articles, resources and guides that tell you about its meaning and how to heal from it. Yet even with this wealth of knowledge out there, few of these resources mention the myths that come with healing from trauma.
It is time to dispel some of these myths about trauma and healing.
Trauma has become a buzzword. So much so that it has entered our daily vocabulary, where it is not uncommon to hear someone exclaim jokingly, “I’m traumatized by that!” But what do we really know about trauma? And most importantly, do we know how to be trauma-informed in our own relationships and connections with others?
