Therapy for Trauma & PTSD

When an individual suffers from a traumatic event, like sexual assault, a car accident, or witnessing severe violence, he or she can suffer from lingering trauma for years afterward. One specific disorder trauma victims often face is post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We offer therapy solutions at Counseling Works to help you heal following trauma.

What is Trauma?

Trauma occurs when you experience or witness a difficult, stressful, or violent event that damages your sense of security. Trauma can be caused by one event or a lifetime of small losses, injuries, or unmet needs. Whatever the source of your trauma, the result is an actual change in the way your brain processes the world around you. Trauma triggers the bodily response that is often referred to as “fight or flight,” which causes people to be on high alert and experience elevated levels of stress.

What is PTSD?

PTSD is a condition that occurs after trauma. While “disorder” is in the name, PTSD may be more accurately called a post-traumatic stress injury. Like a bodily injury, the trauma wounds that lead to PTSD need to be healed.

How Do PTSD & Trauma Affect Me?

Trauma injuries and PTSD impact people differently, but individuals suffering from a trauma injury or PTSD can experience the following symptoms:

• Nightmares or flashbacks of the traumatic event – these flashbacks may feel like you’re physically back in the experience or they may only involve one sense like hearing the sounds or thinking you see people
• A loss of interest in or satisfaction from the activities you once enjoyed
• Emotional detachment from loved ones and family
• Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much
• Avoiding reminders of the trauma, such as not going to similar settings or refusing to talk to people who were involved
• Social withdrawal or isolation
• Self-destructive, promiscuous, or self-harming behaviors
• Hostility, mood swings, and irritability
• Hyper-vigilance, worry, paranoia, or panic attacks
• Physical symptoms like increased heart rate, sweating, and shallow breathing

How Does Therapy Help with Trauma & PTSD?

Trauma wounds us, but therapy can help you begin to heal. The therapy process to heal from trauma may include a variety of specific approaches based on your unique needs. The goal of whatever therapy technique we use is to help you process the painful thoughts and emotions that arise after trauma. Specifically, we will help you center yourself in the present moment, so you can free yourself from the ways that trauma affects your mood, thinking, and behavior.

Ready to Work with an Experienced Counselor?

If you are struggling with PTSD and other lingering effects of trauma, work with an experienced counselor to treat your symptoms. Contact our team at Counseling Works today to schedule your first appointment with a counselor who specializes in working with trauma survivors and PTSD management and can give you the professional help you need.