trauma-informed therapy
cultivate a sense of inner safety and strength
What is trauma?
Trauma is a normal internal response to an overwhelming external event. Trauma is not the event itself, but what happens inside of us when we experience something that is beyond our capacity. Often, trauma leaves us with a sense of shame and powerlessness.
As a trauma-informed therapist, I can help you gently move past overwhelm and shame into a space of understanding and stability.
Common symptoms of trauma include:
intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, or nightmares
constantly being on high alert
feeling detached from others
unable to experience feelings as you usually do
not enjoying things you used to enjoy
anxiety, panic attacks, or intense fear
feeling hopeless about the future
avoiding people, places, or things that remind you of the trauma
difficulty sleeping
feeling numb, overwhelmed, or trapped
Who trauma therapy is for:
Maybe you’re not sure if what you experienced was traumatic, but you know you want to feel differently than you do now
Maybe you have some idea of what caused your trauma symptoms, or you may have a diagnosis of PTSD, but you can’t see a way forward through the murkiness in your head
Maybe there’s no clear overwhelming event that you can identify, but you want to cultivate an embodied sense of inner strength
Maybe you’re feeling a whole lot of nothing and you don’t know what to do about that
Maybe you don’t recognize yourself anymore, you’re feeling totally lost and devastated, and you don’t know if this feeling will ever end
Trauma therapy can help with:
understanding why pieces of events from your past are coming up in the present
creating inner stability amidst chaos
shifting out of numbness and/or anxiety
healing from abusive relationships
learning to trust yourself again
acknowledging and grieving the losses that trauma caused in your life
navigating relationships with people who don’t understand trauma
separating the past from the present so it doesn’t intrude on your daily life
What to expect in a session:
I’ll equip you with practical tools and strategies for managing the symptoms of trauma that are currently impacting your life
We’ll practice titration, which is the process of healing trauma in small, manageable steps rather than all at once
This means we’ll work at a pace that feels comfortable for your nervous system; there’s no rush, no pressure
I’ll check in with you throughout the process to see if it’s feeling like too much or not enough, and we’ll make adjustments according to your feedback
We’ll figure out your triggers (what’s causing the past to intrude on the present) and create plans to manage each of them, so you can heal from your painful past experiences and actually enjoy the present
Still have some questions?
Ask away! We want you to be comfortable and confident starting your trauma-informed counselling journey.
*Please do not include any sensitive personal information.