Has Trauma Affected You?

Have you experienced a distressing event or set of circumstances? Are you a survivor of physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse? Do you struggle with disruptive thoughts or have trouble facing painful aspects of your past? Perhaps you are an adult working in a demanding field that constantly exposes you to life-or-death situations. Or maybe you are a teenager who has experienced instability in your home life since childhood and, as a result, you have trouble connecting to others. 

Trauma comes in many forms and can have lasting impacts on those who experience it. You may be struggling with both physical and emotional symptoms that are impacting your quality of life. Or you may have feelings of anger, sadness, and frustration without understanding what triggered them. In these situations, it is common to rely on unhealthy coping methods, like drugs and alcohol or other self-destructive behaviors to suppress your traumatic memory/memories. 

Feelings of guilt and shame, which often accompany trauma, may be keeping you from fully expressing your emotions and needs. And as a result, you may find your most central relationships are struggling from disconnect or codependent behaviors because you have been unsuccessful in expressing yourself. Or perhaps you lash out at those around you as a result of feeling misunderstood. 

Regardless of what age you are, trauma symptoms can prevent you from leading a full and happy life, causing you to withdraw from the people and activities that once brought you joy. Trauma can be painful to address, but the outcome of creating a peaceful life is worth it. There are treatments available that can help you to identify your feelings and redirect your path in the direction that you want to go. 

In Today’s Chaotic World, Everybody Experiences Trauma

As modern human beings, we are exposed to trauma much more regularly than generations past. Collective traumas, like 9/11 and global pandemics, create panic and feelings of distress among the communities that witness them. While not everyone develops Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) from these situations, it reminds us how common it is for our lives to be upended by shocking and frightening experiences. 

While we can maintain a logical understanding that certain events are out of our control, that does not prevent us from feeling the weight of their consequences. When we experience trauma, it is common to develop lingering symptoms that may not be obviously connected to the distressing event we endured. For instance, children who have endured traumatic experiences might complain of stomach aches, headaches, and other forms of physical pain. Adults may suffer from insomnia, chronic pain, or panic attacks. Such feelings of discomfort may exacerbate our emotional state, creating cycles of sadness, anxiety, and isolation from others. 

Unfortunately, in a society that prides itself on people pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, we may often feel as though we must work through our trauma on our own. There is a fear that we are weak for feeling emotionally distraught by something that happened long ago or by something that was not directly related to us. 

Lingering feelings of distress, however, indicate that we are in touch with our emotions and the very human parts of ourselves that thrive on nurture, connection, and security. And while these feelings of distress are common, they are also uncomfortable and disruptive. Luckily, there are treatments available to help find relief. 

Trauma Therapy Can Help You Rewrite Your Life’s Story

You are not alone in experiencing your trauma and you don’t have to be alone as you seek relief from it. While you may have experienced a distressing event or are struggling with PTSD, you are more than the sum of your trauma—your trauma does not have to define you! 

Counseling and therapy at Journey Mental Health will help you to gain perspective on your past and give you the tools you need to reintegrate trauma into your life’s story in a healthy, productive way. Each one of our seasoned therapists offers a safe, confidential, and supportive environment where you can open up and better understand how the events of your past affect your present, both in mind and body. Using a wide range of modalities, we can help you develop the skills you need to identify your emotions and how they are impacting the decisions you make on a day-to-day basis. 

Since it is of the utmost importance that you feel safe as you begin the process of PTSD treatment, we aim to cultivate a comfortable, inclusive atmosphere and foster a strong counselor-client relationship before delving into the more private aspects of your experience. Using methods that focus on the brain-body connection, such as EMDR and Brainspotting, among others, we will work to better understand the responses you have to your environment and create more awareness around them. Our aim is to reinstill a sense of control in your life so that you can begin to feel more proactive and less reactive. 

Of course, everybody possesses unique qualities. Therefore, our team at Journey Mental Health will work with you to understand your individual circumstances, get at the core of what is causing you distress, and tailor your trauma treatment to fit your unique needs. Together we can figure out the best ways to integrate mindful thinking into your daily routine so that you can fully understand your emotions and the decisions you make as a result of them.  

Treatment for trauma or PTSD at Journey Mental Health can make a meaningful difference in your life and help you make healthier choices, both emotionally and physically. 

You Have The Potential To Heal From Your Trauma

If a traumatic experience or PTSD is preventing you from living a healthy, balanced life, the therapists and counselors at Journey Mental Health are available to offer support. Please contact us via our website or call (423) 521-5678 to set up an appointment today.