PTSD Treatment

Are The Symptoms of PTSD Interrupting Your Life?

Is there a sense of lack choice in your life, or a feeling of powerlessness, or that things are just happening and you are not the one in control?

Do your strong emotions such as anger, jealousy, or grief make you experience an unbearable physical pain?

Are nightmares or intrusive thoughts making in difficult for you to function well?

Would you like to feel in charge of your life again?

Everyone has unpleasant thoughts or memories, sometimes. However, if you or someone you love is being haunted by memories or having an emotional response to an event in the past, PTSD may be in control. Whether the trauma was a single event or a series of events, its impact has made your life unrecognizable. Not having a sense of power/control in your life can lead to anxiety and stress. This discord can impact your ability to tolerate the thoughts, emotions, and feelings of everyday life. If you’re unable to tolerate daily activities, it is difficult to engage with what is important to you. Additionally, the challenge to reign in your symptoms leaves you overwhelmed and exhausted. The effort spent managing PTSD may have you wondering if it’s possible to find some agency in your life again.

You Are Not Alone In Your Struggles

While you may feel isolated by symptoms of PTSD, you are not alone in wanting to find a more effective way to live. The symptomology of PTSD was first understood through military personnel and their experiences coming back from combat. More recently, therapists, caregivers and support professionals are recognizing that trauma is a common experience for many.

Trauma was once defined as a singular negative event, such as a car accident or sudden loss of life. Now trauma is also understood as the result of a series of negative events. This could include repeated exposure to violence, neglect, or abuse. So, if you have experienced a big trauma, or many little trauma(s) and you are struggling  to mange your symptoms you are not alone. If your memories of the trauma are invasive and bring up negative emotions, managing the smallest tasks can feel impossible.

There is help for you in recovering from PTSD. You may educate yourself through an increasing body of information about trauma. And seek out a skillful therapist to support your healing from your symptoms. This will lead to an increase your sense of self-worth and self-efficacy. Feeling better will help you manage life better.

Trauma-Informed Therapy Can Help You Feel Better

Seeking out a trauma-informed therapist is the first best step to your living the life you want to lead. I am well-versed in therapeutic modalities that help manage your symptoms of PTSD. Two modalities I use are Somatic psychotherapy and EMDR. Somatic psychotherapy strengthens the mind-body connection, which is often interrupted by trauma. EMDR uses bi-lateral stimulation to help you effectively digest a traumatic memory. I center my approach around finding what modality will work best for you. I also add plenty of strategies for effective implementation of recovery skills. Whether the trauma you experienced happened recently or decades ago there is a possibility for relief.

Effective trauma-informed therapy can help to reduce the symptoms of PTSD such as anxiety, stress, depression, or overwhelm. When you choose to work with me, we will learn new ways to manage your symptoms so your work, relationships, and emotions feel manageable. Once you feel like you are better able to cope you will have an opportunity to explore your experiences more in-depth.

When you decide to get help you might notice a sense of relief immediately. Knowing you don’t have to figure it out on your own will allow you to relax a little. As you learn how to relax more, you will feel more comfortable within yourself. Finding even deeper states relaxation will enable more healing from the trauma. You may also notice you are alright with what is happening moment to moment. You will spend less time stressing about the future or reflecting on events from the past. From your experiences in sessions you will learn how to engage in your environment in a similar manner. Your understanding of PTSD and how it impacts you and your relationships will be increased. This facilitates a deeper compassion and understanding of yourself.

Therapy can help. Psychotherapy allows you to take into account how trauma impacted your life. Trauma-informed therapy can also engage you with learning how to be a witness to the experience. Seeing the ways you become stronger and more resilient will amaze you. You will allow past experiences to remain in the past. By using the present moment to adapt to your experiences you will then be able to move forward in your life. I use a safe and slow process while working to change the outcome of traumatic experiences. Together we will make room for your traumatic experience to become an adaptive memory. Adaptive memory means the memory won’t trigger negative emotions associated with the event. You will feel less hyper-vigilant and your anxiety and/or depression will no longer control your life.

I have been working with clients for four years on how to resolve trauma in their lives. In addition to my training, I have personally been working with a Somatic psychotherapist to resolve my own trauma around the sudden and unexpected loss of two very dear people in my life. I have found their memory is filled with sweetness and, of course, sadness but without the overwhelming feelings I was experiencing before I got help.

Are You Wondering If Now Is The Right Time To Begin Therapy?

You might feel like you are managing your symptoms pretty well on your own.

There are probably days in which you do feel pretty capable of handling hypervigilence, avoidance, emotional and relational difficulty. You forget how disruptive your symptoms are in your work and relationships. Though when the symptoms become overwhelming it can feel impossible to reach out for help. You are doing everything you can to hold on. Why not take some time now? Honor your desire to feel better. You can explore how you are impacted by trauma and develop new, effective coping mechanisms. So, when you are struggling, you have effective, concrete ways to navigate life.

Does the stigma of seeking help for the trauma you’ve experienced make you think there is something wrong with you?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with you, traumatic experiences are very common. You will feel relief to understand having a traumatic experience in your past is different from have to relive in it in the present. If you feel interested in living healthier by addressing symptoms of PTSD, I offer a compassionate, safe, and comforting environment for healing. So many people in have suffered traumas and transformed their lives through therapy. There is help for you.

Are you concerned trauma-informed therapy will not be worth the cost?

You might not think you are worth the price of therapy. Or therapy is an imprudent expense when there are so many ways you feel responsible to support yourself. You are your very own best investment. Investing time, effort, and money into mental health is a sound way cultivate well-being. It is also a sure way to increase your ability to take care of your needs which helps you to pursue your truest desires.

You can feel empowered!

I would love to answer any questions you may have or offer you a free 20 minute consultation. Please feel free to reach out here or call  720.334.8867. I will return your request within 24 hours.