Trauma Therapy
Could What You’re Feeling Be Related To Trauma?
Do you frequently feel anxious, unsafe, or disconnected from others?
Is it difficult to believe you’re lovable or trust the decisions you make?
Have you ever suspected that how you move through the world may relate to unresolved trauma from the past?
Perhaps from the outside, it looks like you’ve achieved success through your career or creative outlets. But within, you may feel like an imposter who doesn’t deserve the success you’ve achieved. Inwardly, you might be consumed with pervasive self-doubt or struggle with bouts of crippling anxiety and depression.
Your Relationships May Be Negatively Impacted
If you’ve experienced trauma, it can instill feelings of shame and guilt that overshadow your relationships. You may tend to be a people-pleaser who struggles to feel worthy of love and set healthy boundaries.
Or maybe you find it difficult to let your guard down and trust others. Without a sense of what your needs, wants, and values are, your inner world may feel chaotic and unstable, making it harder to establish a close connection or maintain intimacy.
Further, the safety and security you crave may seem elusive. You might feel fearful and on edge whenever triggered, causing your fight-flight-freeze response to activate. This nervous system dysregulation could lead to flashbacks, hypervigilance, nightmares, or panic attacks.
If you feel like something inside is broken that you don’t know how to fix, you might be dealing with the impact of unresolved trauma or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Fortunately, therapy for trauma and PTSD can help. Taking an evidence-based approach to counseling, the trauma experienced in childhood can be effectively treated in a supportive, healing environment.
Have any questions? Send me a message.
Trauma Is A Global Issue
The negative effects of trauma are more common than many realize. Current research estimates that approximately 13 million adults in the US are estimated to have PTSD, with adult women accounting for 66.4 percent of this group. [1] And according to the World Health Organization (WHO), “approximately 70 percent of people globally will experience a potentially traumatic event during their lifetime.” [2]
Although the effects of trauma have the ability to shape our identity and sense of safety in the world, we tend to downplay what happened to us. Because we often believe that what constitutes trauma is reserved for “worst of the worst” events—such as active combat, car accidents, or sexual assault—we conclude our own experience wasn’t that bad. However, the impact of recurring childhood trauma in the form of neglect and verbal abuse can have long-term consequences.
We Might Think We Should Just “Get Over It”
Society often pushes the idea that we should just be strong, suck it up, and move forward. But when this messaging comes from family members it can be particularly wounding, exacerbating our sense of loneliness and shame. Sadly, it’s often easier for us to avoid our pain than seek help, especially if we struggle to acknowledge that what we experienced was traumatic.
But avoidance isn’t a long-term solution. Trauma therapy can help you make sense of your experience, find ways to process difficult memories, and challenge negative self-beliefs that keep you from living life to its fullest.
Trauma Therapy Can Heal Emotional Wounds And Nurture Self-Acceptance
If you’ve put off seeking trauma treatment, you’re not alone. It can be uncomfortable to acknowledge you may have been emotionally or physically harmed by someone who was supposed to care for you.
Therapy will be a safe space to confront the complex feelings associated with relational or childhood trauma while discovering new pathways to healing. We'll make connections between your past experiences and current worldview as well as identify innate resilience you’ve relied on to survive. Tapping into your innate strengths will help guide you toward living more authentically and aligned with your values.
What To Expect In Sessions
Our initial focus will be to create a safe, secure environment to ensure we build trust and safety. I strive to set a pace you’re comfortable with, ensuring you only share information once you feel ready to do so. Earlier counseling sessions will include psychoeducation about the nervous system response and recognizing the physical symptoms that unresolved trauma can trigger.
Our goals will be collaborative and future-focused, building on your strengths and preferences. In addition to taking stock of your current habits and self-care routines, we’ll identify your needs, desires, and values to help you gain self-esteem and embrace self-compassion.
An important part of healing from trauma or PTSD is developing healthy coping strategies in treatment that you can use if you become overwhelmed. By providing tools and techniques to help you regulate overwhelming emotions both during and in between sessions, you’ll gain the confidence to do the deeper work.
Trauma Treatment Will Address Both Mind And Body
Some strategies we may include are:
Gaining awareness of bodily sensations and learning how to regulate and calm the nervous system through mindfulness grounding skills—such as visualization, breathwork, body movement, and sensory orientation;
Breaking down nervous system responses into smaller parts to improve your ability to recognize potential triggers;
Learning how to tolerate states of discomfort within the nervous system; and
Exploring how past trauma has impacted your self-esteem and relationships with others and helping you rebuild your sense of self.
Modalities we may include to support PTSD and trauma recovery include Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Somatic Experiencing (SE), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Used in combination with each other, these therapeutic approaches can help you process traumatic memories and negative beliefs stored in the mind as well as the body and build a new narrative that is no longer defined by past trauma.
When you understand how traumatic experiences have impacted you, you can stop dwelling on the past and shift your focus to present and future goals. With a greater awareness of triggers and how to cope with them in healthier ways, you can leave therapy with a renewed sense of control and agency over your life.
But Maybe You’re Not Sure If Trauma Therapy Is Right For You…
What if I experience overwhelming or intense emotions after a trauma counseling session?
One of the goals of trauma therapy is to help you learn effective ways to manage distressing thoughts, feelings, and physical sensations. During our sessions, we'll explore ways you can regulate your nervous system and feel more grounded, whether it's through meditation, breathing exercises, visualizing a peaceful place, spending time in nature, or moving your body.
I don’t want to revisit what happened to me—will I have to relive my trauma story with my therapist?
Trauma therapy is not about reliving the experience or going into every detail of what happened to you. We'll always go at your pace, making sure you feel safe.
You don't necessarily have to retell your story at all but can instead share how past trauma is impacting you presently. The goal is for you to experience trauma differently so that it has less of a grip on you than it once did. Ultimately, our work will focus on you moving forward and healing.
It's hard for me to open up to others and be vulnerable without feeling judged.
This is a common concern, especially for folks who have experienced trauma, or who have been criticized or judged by someone in the past. It may be hard to trust others, and you might wonder what they'll think of you if you open up about your experiences.
Therapy for trauma and PTSD is a non-judgmental space for exploration and healing, and, as your therapist, my top priority is to support you as you make changes. It's important you feel comfortable and it's always your choice to decide when and what you share with me during our sessions.
[1] https://www.tetheredtoptsd.com/epidemiology
[2] https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/post-traumatic-stress-disorder
If You’re Ready To Find Solutions, I’m Here To Help
Reaching out for support is the first step towards change. To find out more about virtual or in person trauma therapy with me, please call (310) 728-9729 or visit my contact page.
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Trauma Therapy
in Los Angeles
627 N Larchmont Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90004