Trauma/PTSD/CPTSD
Have you experienced a loss of interest in activities that you’ve previously enjoyed? Do you avoid situations that stir up painful memories? Do you have disturbing memories/nightmares. Do you feel detached from friends or family? Do you find yourself feeling hyper-vigilant in a variety of situations? Do you alternate between feeling “flooded” by sensations and feeling numb? Do you experience a racing heart, excessive sweating, shaking, or chills when remembering the trauma?
When we have an experience that overwhelms our nervous system we refer to it as an emotional trauma. Emotional trauma can result from a single overwhelming event such as an automobile accident(PTSD) or it can be the result of a prolonged toxic experience such as living in an abusive or neglectful environment.(CPTSD).
Emotional trauma exerts a powerful negative impact on the nervous system. In the wake of trauma, survivors are often left feeling unsafe in the world. This can lead to a state of chronic hyper-vigilance. Living in a prolonged state of hyper-arousal can have a significant negative impact on our long-term physical and mental health.
Bessel van Der Kolk writes:
“People can leave the trauma behind if they learn to feel safe in their bodies—they can feel the pleasure to know what they know and feel what they feel. The brain does change because of trauma and now we have tools to help people be quiet and present versus hijacked by the past.”
How we can help
Traumatic experience lives in both the mind and body. Recent research tells us that traditional techniques of talk therapy may not be helpful and may in fact be harmful as it can have a can sometimes have a re-traumatizing effect. Modern trauma treatment now begins “from the bottom up” meaning that we begin by calming the body and the nervous system. Only after the body is calm and feels safe can traditional psychotherapy techniques be effective.
We offer several effective methods for healing the physical and emotional impacts of trauma. The Safe & Sound Protocol calms highly reactive nervous systems through sound. Neurofeedback is used to calm the body and facilitate processing while EMDR is used to drain traumatic memories of their power to overwhelm.
Testimonial
“I experienced a full emotional breakdown caused by early childhood trauma and triggered by events in my workplace. The very last thing I wanted to do was more talk therapy because I didn’t want to relive those memories. But I could not tolerate living another day with the anxiety, depression, nausea, pain, insomnia, itching, crying, apathy, anger, indecisiveness, and a general inability to cope or complete everyday functions. After my first Neurofeedback session, I was amazed at how painless and simple my healing could be. Many of the physical symptoms disappeared right away. I did not realize how much pain and discomfort I lived with daily until it was gone. I am aware of so many positive changes. My daughter says I no longer look angry all the time. My closest friends all have used the word calm when talking about how I have changed. I would simply say I feel peaceful and content. I only wish I had found Neurofeedback about 20 years sooner!”