Trauma
Trauma is the response to a deeply distressing event that overwhelms your ability to cope. It causes feelings of helplessness, diminishes your sense of self, and can inhibit the full range of emotions. Trauma can result in the mind and body getting stuck in patterns of misinterpreting information and going into fight, flight, or freeze when no danger is present. Trauma overwhelms the nervous system and changes the way we process and recall memories.
When working with trauma, we will always work at your pace. We will move slowly, cultivating trust, connection, and safety. Initially, we will build skills to assist you with nervous system regulation. Basically, this means how to self-regulate and ground when you are feeling overwhelmed. This could include mindfulness activities, breathing exercises, movement, or guided meditations. Then, we will work to understand how the trauma has impacted your perceptions of yourself and others. Integrating physical movement into this portion of our treatment will allow you to explore your physical and emotional reactions from various perspectives. A key component of your healing will be empowerment and re-learning how to create safety in your mind and body.
In order to heal and make progress toward wellness, you must feel connected and safe within the therapeutic relationship. I strive to meet you where you are and create a safe space for exploration and healing. I draw from a variety of therapeutic modalities. I will work to integrate cognitive behavioral approaches, existential theory, practical coping, and mindfulness.