“Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence
of an empathetic witness.” – Peter A. Levine
Before we talk about therapy for trauma, we need you to know that your story is your own, and out of respect for you and your boundaries, you will never be forced to talk about your experiences unless you choose to share them.
The word trauma can sometimes incite a strong response from our nervous system. Often when we think of trauma, our minds refer to big, horrific events. However, when stripped down, trauma is the occurrence of a real or perceived threat that does not have a solution and overwhelms our ability to cope. If two people experience the same situation, one may walk away viewing it as “difficult” while the other may find it “traumatic”. Because it’s based on a person’s perception, trauma is very complex and hard to truly define.
Our brains work hard to protect us, (thank you amygdala!), which at times can mean we have a hard time remembering the details of our traumatic experience. Even if we don’t recall the memory, our body stores the experience in our nervous system, which means we can have responses to situations that are reminiscent of the original trauma, though we might not remember it.
Below are a few examples of survival strategies that may have developed due to traumatic experiences:
- Hyper independence
- Suppressing feelings
- Hypervigilance
- Observing others and experiencing their feelings
- Perfectionism
- Constantly staying busy
- Waiting for the other shoe to drop
- Being too open or too rigid with boundaries
- Avoidance
- Minimization
- People pleasing
There are ways you can process trauma by focusing on being present and working through the areas of your life where your trauma is causing distress. At Banyan Counseling Collective in Denver, our treatment plans include talk therapy, EMDR, Somatic Experiencing and other trauma-integrated modalities.
EMDR Therapy
EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. When we experience a traumatic event, our brain processes it differently than a less intense experience. When trauma gets stuck in different parts of our brain or memory networks, it can lead to emotional dysregulation, as well as uncomfortable sensations or thoughts as a reaction to triggers that occur in daily life. It can even change the way we relate to people or situations. EMDR uses bilateral (accessing both sides of the brain) stimulation to be able to contact those traumatic “stuck” points.
For more information on the process and effects of EMDR, click here.
Somatic Experiencing
In its simplest form, Somatic Experiencing (SE) is a body-centered approach to working with trauma. After a traumatic event, our pre-frontal cortex stops us from completing the trauma response that is occurring in our body. Therefore, we have incomplete trauma responses stored in our body (specifically our autonomic nervous system), which contributes to experiencing uncomfortable sensations when feeling triggered or activated. In fact, our bodies cannot differentiate between past trauma and a current experience, so it feels like it is happening in the present moment. With Somatic Experiencing therapy we can repair and complete the natural processes our bodies possess to deactivate the trauma. Ultimately, SE is designed to help you create a mind/body connection that allows for increased resilience, emotional regulation, decreased stress responses, and helps resolve relational distress that trauma perpetuates.
For more information on Somatic Experience sessions and benefits, click here.
We’re Here To Support You
We understand that taking the first step can be challenging, but you’re not alone.
Contact us today and let’s work together to improve your well-being.