Trauma is not what happens to us,
but what we hold inside in the absence
of an empathetic witness.
- Peter Levine
Trauma Therapy
Have you suffered through traumatic events in your life and you aren’t sure if you will ever be able to move past them? Do you struggle with painful memories and body sensations and aren’t sure how to manage them? Do you feel depressed, irritable, detached, and anxious, and blame yourself for how you react to people and situations? Do you engage in destructive patterns of behavior, such as recurrent unhealthy relationships, drug or alcohol abuse, social isolation, disordered eating, or self-harm?
Therapy can be a safe space for you to work through your distress and gain freedom from your past. Using a collaborative mind-body approach, I'll work with you to discover your individual path towards healing and trauma resolution.
What is trauma?
Trauma is the result of living through terrifying or life-threatening events, which leave us feeling overwhelmed and powerless. It is normal to feel afraid when we experience something traumatic. Our bodies have a natural “fight-flight-or-freeze” response that activates when we are in danger and helps keep us safe. But our nervous systems can become dysregulated and “stuck” in survival mode, which can lead to difficulty with daily functioning.
Unresolved trauma negatively impacts our views of ourselves, others, and the world around us. Whether you experienced a single event that dismantled your ability to feel safe, or endured years of long-term neglect or abuse, you may be affected by post-traumatic stress symptoms. You may have difficulties in your ability to trust others, be in healthy relationships, cope with feelings, or manage other areas of your life. If you are experiencing any of these issues, working with a trauma therapist is an essential step in aiding and restoring your physical and emotional well-being.
How Can Therapy Help?
Trauma therapy is not just about retelling your trauma story.
Our bodies remember and hold trauma. It is stored in our implicit memories, also known as body memories, This means that words alone are not enough to reach the depth of the trauma’s impact. Talk therapy alone is often not enough to treat the nervous system dysregulation that is so common in people who have struggled with traumatic and stressful life experiences.
Trauma affects our minds and our bodies.
Stuck trauma is not caused by the traumatic event itself, but by the nervous system’s inability to process and release the activation caused by it. In order to experience lasting relief from symptoms, it is important to access the body and release the painful memories and experiences that are held there. This allows the nervous system to return to a balanced and regulated state. Once our nervous systems are able to self-regulate, as they are designed to do, we are more resilient and capable of making changes to our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviors.
I am trained in several therapeutic modalities that are specifically designed to access the mind-body connection in processing and releasing trauma. I use these approaches in my work with clients to achieve meaningful and long-lasting relief from symptoms.
Attachment-Focused EMDR
Attachment-Focused EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) uses bilateral stimulation to process and release traumatic memories. It is particularly helpful for those who have experienced chronic relational and attachment trauma.
If you are interested in trauma and PTSD therapy and you live in Claremont, Upland, Pomona, La Verne, San Dimas, Glendora, Rancho Cucamonga, or one of the other surrounding cities in the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire, contact me to schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation and learn more about how I can help.