trauma Therapy

“Do I have trauma?”, “Was it traumatic what I went through?”. Many people experience a sense of doubt and confusion around their traumatic experiences. You may think that your experience was less intense compared to someone else. If you’re experiencing the below concerns, then you are experiencing symptoms related to trauma which is treatable. Here at Panahi Counseling, we specialize in trauma-sensitive approaches.

Common symptoms

The prevalence of experiencing Trauma in our lifetime.

Trauma can often be a complex experience that can infiltrate every aspect of your life. How one copes with and experiences trauma depends on multiple factors and is unique to the person. People who suffer from trauma each express the effects of these events differently, and may not always be noticeable. Trauma can result from various events, including bullying, childhood neglect and abuse, physical violence, sexual assault, and unexpected losses of people, to name a few.
A common effect of trauma is PTSD or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. PTSD is most commonly attributed or associated with combat trauma or those who have fought in war zones. But PTSD is an overall result of any traumatic event, either short-term or long-term. Long-term trauma can often result in anxiety, feelings of guilt, shame, anger, disassociation, inability to sleep, and even hallucinations or flashbacks.
Trauma can go undetected and untreated for years and is often neglected due to shame or the belief that what happened was deserved. Trauma can lead to the end of relationships, both professional and personal. In addition, it can affect how you live your life, such as developing destructive behaviors or neglecting your basic needs. Trauma Therapy can help trauma victims get to the root cause of their pain and aid in developing healthy coping mechanisms and changes.

The benefits of seeking Trauma therapy

Trauma is wrapped with feelings of shame, guilt, confusion, and fear. You might be wondering, “why did this happen to me?”, “Did I encourage the behavior?” and “how will I ever recover from this?”. It is very common to ask these questions—many trauma victims blame themselves for their experience of trauma. Trauma Therapy can help you gain clarity and coping skills to regain trust in yourself and feel safe again. Here are some benefits of seeking trauma treatment.

Receiving therapy for Trauma can offer the following:

Understand how trauma can impact the brain and physiology.
Learn strategies for grounding yourself to help reduce emotional and physical distress.
Experience reduction in flashbacks, fear, shock, shame, guilt, and numbness.
Develop coping mechanisms to manage daily tasks at hand.
Feeling empowered and in control of your life again.
Finding hope and solution for living life to the fullest.

Our Approach

How do we treat trauma and PTSD?

The first goal of trauma therapy is to establish a safe space where you can feel safe and supported by your therapist. Trauma victims experience a loss of control in their environment and making the therapy space safe can significantly increase the healing process. Your therapist will work with you to teach you important skills such as grounding techniques, establishing a safe space, navigating through dissociation, and monitoring the somatic symptoms in the body. The process of therapy starts with the following order.

Establishing a safe and supportive environment.
Learning about what is happening to you.
Learning helpful tools to manage the trauma symptoms.
Taking a history of past incidents related to the trauma.
Building a collaborative therapy goal.
Learning about EMDR Therapy and its effectiveness.
Working with the trauma memory and removing its impact.

EMDR Therapy for Trauma

Many trauma victims may benefit from EMDR therapy, which is widely researched and proven effective in treating trauma/PTSD. Our therapists are EMDR Certified to facilitate a combination of techniques suitable to our client’s needs. Reach out today to see if EMDR therapy is right for you.

Want help finding a therapist?

Schedule a 15-minute conversation with our Client Care Coordinator.