I have been studying and treating trauma for nearly a decade. I am always learning new things and depths to trauma processing. I’d like to share a snippet of what I know and how I understand my role in the healing of trauma.
Trauma is something that overwhelms our ability to cope. It is the very response in our nervous systems that creates a trauma response. Therefore, it is not for others or the outsider to say what is traumatic for us. While some folks may just shrug off an intense argument, in others it that may lead to overwhelm and shut down. Our nervous system can hold memories and energies that seem inescapable. As strange as it sounds, this IS our nervous system doing its job, preparing us for the threat that has not left our senses.
My role as a therapist is to help you understand your own reactions, bodily sensations, and trauma-based narratives. Once embraced in a mindful state, I guide you through the process of feeling through them and ultimately letting go of the stored emotions and improving your management over their impacts. I use somatic/bottom-up methods to help contact and address these unresolved experiences through IFS and Brainspotting. More information on these techniques and modalities can be found under “My Practice”.