Experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event can instantly change your life. Trauma can affect your thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and your world view. The experience can literally impact the functioning of your brain. When trauma strikes, it can be very difficult to manage all of the emotions that come along with it.
What is a traumatic event?
The types of traumatic events vary greatly, but what they all have in common is the person perceived great danger during the experience. Some traditional examples of traumatic events include sexual assault, physical assault, domestic abuse, natural disasters, mass violence, domestic fires, motor vehicle accidents, torture, combat/war, child abuse, and emergency worker exposure.
Directly experiencing a traumatic event can lead to symptoms associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). It’s important to understand that you can also suffer from symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) without directly experiencing the traumatic event. For example, witnessing an event that occurred to others, or even learning that the traumatic event occurred to a loved one can still impact you significantly.
What symptoms do you experience after a traumatic event?
Common symptoms associated with trauma can include sleep disturbances, flashbacks, anger, irritability, avoidance, distressing memories, problems with concentration, fear, guilt, issues with memory, and shame. These symptoms can be very stressful and impact your quality of life. These symptoms can impair functioning at work, at home, and in your relationships.
The good news is you do not have to continue to suffer from these symptoms. There are several evidence-based treatments approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to effectively treat symptoms related to PTSD and Trauma.
What can I expect in trauma therapy?
My Treatment Approach: As a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), I use trauma focused treatment to help my clients decrease their symptoms. When working on trauma my treatment approach involves the following three stages (psychoeducation, skills building, and resolution).
Stage One: Psychoeducation- The first step in healing trauma is to recognize and understand its impact. In the beginning of therapy, you will learn about the impacts of trauma, which is called psychoeducation.
Stage Two: Creating Safety and Skills Building- We will focus on regaining your sense of safety. You will learn skills for Self-Regulation, Relaxation, and Coping Strategies that will help decrease the physiological and psychological symptoms associated with the trauma.
Stage Three: Resolution- During the last stage of therapy, we will start reprocessing the memory while using the skills you learned during stage 2. Sometimes, people start to feel better after stage two and don’t need to enter stage 3 to reprocess the memory. Everyone is different, and we will only work on stage 3 when/ if you feel comfortable doing so.
If you are ready to start the journey towards healing from trauma, I invite you to contact me to schedule a free phone consultation.
If you are struggling with symptoms from trauma, contact Jessica Brady LCSW to schedule a free, non-commitment phone consultation. Call or text (732-807-1907)