Trauma therapy in Albany, NY
What is trauma?
Trauma can be a single horrific event, or a cumulation of adverse experiences that leave a lasting impact on the brain and body. Individuals with unresolved trauma can find themselves in a constant state of stress, feeling constantly on edge, experience flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, numbing or dissociation. Unresolved trauma can cause physical pain and discomfort, relationship stress, substance abuse or other self destructive behaviors, and can lead to thoughts of suicide or self harm. Traumatic experiences stored in our body are telling a story about the world and our place in it, that we aren’t safe, aren’t in control, or that we are wrong or defective.
Symptoms of Trauma
Flashbacks to traumatic events which can make you feel like you are reliving them
Hypervigilence or a constant feeling of danger
Intrusive thoughts and images that come out of nowhere and create a sense of real danger
Avoidance of anything that reminds you of the traumatic experiences
Physical symptoms such as sweating, dizziness or shortness of breath
Feeling numb or dissociated
Negative thoughts about yourself or others
difficulty connecting to others
Trouble sleeping and nightmares
Healing is possible, and with a trauma informed, paced approach, the body can begin to re-establish trust in itself and the world around it.
How I can help
EMDR is a framework for understanding how the brain writes the story of traumatic experiences. When an individual experiences something that overwhelms the system, the brain can’t process the information. A real or perceived threat to life and personal safety triggers an autonomic nervous system response.
When the threat has passed, that traumatic experience can become “locked” in memory network that are not connected to the larger information processing system. When reminded of the trauma or “triggered,” the body responds as if that event was happening all over, along with the negative beliefs associated with the event, such as
“I’m not safe,”
“I can’t trust myself,”
“I’m out of control.”
Trauma is in the eye of the beholder, and two individuals can experience the same event, and while one person might experience a brief stress response, another person can have lasting and severe symptoms. By first working on developing a trusting relationship and equipping you with real tools for grounding and coping, we can establish enough safety in the nervous system to begin to better understand the story your brain and body have been holding. When your system is ready, and if you choose, we can begin to reprocess the traumatic memories and images so the brain can rewrite the story and consolidate it into the adaptive network. With paced, evidence based therapy, an individual can find calm and safety in the nervous system, and consolidate beliefs such as
“I am safe,
“I can trust myself”
“I can be in control.”
Come home to your body and rediscover your peace
- because life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans
- because life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans