Trauma can be a one-time incident, or it can be something that has been experienced repeatedly over many years.
Whatever the form, trauma often erodes one's confidence and internal feeling of safety. In order to cope with very difficult feelings and consequences from the trauma, you may have adopted strategies that used to be protective, but that no longer serve you well.
Taking the step to seek therapy is brave, admirable, and inspiring. I know how hard it is to ask for help and to show your vulnerabilities to a stranger. My hope is create a space where you feel seen, valued, respected, and cared for. I consider it an incredible honor and gift to be part of your story and will treat it as such.
I BELIEVE THERAPY IS A POWERFUL TOOL TO GET BACK THE THINGS TRAUMA STOLE
But not all forms of therapy are effective for healing trauma. Talk therapy can be re-traumatizing for some people, which is why I work from a trauma-informed & neurobiological approach. I understand how the brain functions when trauma has occurred and take a gentle and brain-based approach.
EMDR and Brainspotting are two research-based, neurobiological approaches I incorporate for effective change.
Trauma, especially ongoing trauma, affects our sense of self and how we see ourselves. Maybe you have received explicit messages that you are not good enough, smart enough, attractive enough - and even if you know those messages to be untrue, they can be so hurtful and hard to shake. Trauma therapy can restore a healthy and positive view of yourself.
Trauma makes our nervous system more sensitive to perceiving potential threats. It's not something that is within our conscious control - it is a survival mechanism. However, when the threat has passed, it is no longer useful to be constantly looking and fearing threats. This is called hypervigilance. The effects of hypervigilance include feeling fatigued, irritable, and edgy/anxious, among other things. Trauma therapy helps to "reset" the nervous system, allowing for a more peaceful existence.
Numbness or disconnecting from the people and things around you is another common survival strategy. Maybe you think "if I don't feel, then I won't be hurt." However, there is a huge sacrifice to yourself when you try to avoid feeling pain/sadness/grief/anger. When you are ready, trauma therapy can help you explore these feelings in a safe and gentle way, and always with you in control.
A hallmark posttraumatic stress reaction is replaying the traumatic incident, unwanted images from the trauma, and/or nightmares. Processing the traumatic event from a neurobiological approach is incredibly successful in helping relieve the constant re-living aspect of PTSD.
Trauma doesn't just affect ourselves - it also often impairs our ability to feel safe in relationships. Maybe you protect yourself by disconnecting from others, or maybe you are terrified of abandonment and so engage in people-pleasing. Trauma therapy addresses the dysfunctional patterns that develop when we try and protect ourselves in relationship with others.
*Equine-Assisted Therapy is another approach that is very beneficial in addressing the interpersonal effects of trauma
EMDR, Brainspotting, and Equine-Assisted Therapy in
6903 Starlight Drive
Morrison, CO 80465
_____________________________________________________
Copyright © 2024 Journey Together Horse Ranch - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.