Leave the past in the past and move forward

Heal. Learn. Grow. Love.

You may feel like you’re becoming boxed it, but you don’t have to stay trapped

Just like your favorite movie or TV character has an origin story so do you. Yours may be filled with painful memories or reminders that you want to avoid. You may feel stuck on replaying and reliving past events. These reminders may make you feel unsettled, irritable, or impact your ability to do things you once loved. You could find yourself having difficulty sleeping or becoming easily startled. As you try to maintain your composure and avoid these reminders you may find your world shrinking little by little, until you’re not the person you want to be

“Hope is like your car keys. Easy to lose, but if you dig around it’s usually close by”

-Superman

This is not the end, it’s only the beginning:

Your trauma is valid, it doesn’t matter if someone has experienced something “worse”
Experiencing something traumatic is not shameful, instead be proud of how far you’ve come
Our brains can become like that sensitive smoke detector, saying the house is on fire when it’s only burnt toast. Therefore, we must work to rewire our brains so that it works for us instead of against us.

how i can help

Trauma therapy can help you get to know your “monsters” instead of running from them

We will use a variety of methods, to help you manage your emotions, reduce your feelings of distress, and challenge unhelpful thoughts
Practice using non judgmental mindfulness and acceptance techniques to be aware of what your feelings are telling you. This will allow you to understand that your feelings are valid and serving a purpose
Use story telling, journaling, and other creative methods to tell your story, break your “monster” down to size, and regain your courage
Identify your strengths, values, and ways you are your own superhero
Create an action plan using tools such as narrative therapy and prolonged exposure to face the reminders you’ve been avoiding and help them feel less all consuming.

Get started

imagine if you Could…

Go about your life without worrying when you would be reminded of a stressful event

✓

You have gotten to know your “monster” better, instead of a lurking shadow it becomes more of a fluffy bunny. It can still hurt at times if it bites you, but ultimately you have control over what you experience and do with your life.

Break free of the past, enjoy the present, and feel at peace

✓

You are able to experience all that life has to offer, love, happiness, and even stress. You are no longer paralyzed by certain emotions, instead they leave on schedule and you are able to focus on the now.

Be able to more easily overcome other stressful events that come your way

✓

You have the tools needed to heal from other stressful events. You know that life keeps going and that this too shall pass because you are capable. This is not the end of your story, instead you just got renewed for episodes.

I want you to know:

You don’t have to navigate this alone.

Let’s work together to retell your story and break free of your confines.

Book your free consult

faqs

Common questions about trauma

In session, we will work to better understand your trauma and stressful events. You will learn that like your favorite characters you are not your origin story, it is merely what got your story started. We will learn a variety of tools to help you reduce feelings of distress, increase your self-compassion, and challenge unhelpful thoughts. We will work on facing reminders of your trauma, to reteach your brain that not everything is dangerous.
Both narrative therapy and prolonged exposure are useful tools we will use to help you face reminders of past trauma that continue to cause you distress. By retelling your story or gradually exposing yourself to traumatic reminders, we will practice habituation. This is like when you get into a cold pool. At first your body feels in pain and in shock, however the longer you stay in the water your body adjusts to it so that you are no longer in distress and instead able to enjoy swimming. Our minds work in a similar manner, the more we sit with feeling of distress and reminders of past trauma, we feel better and eventually we will no longer react as intensely when we encounter a reminder again.
All therapy techniques are tailored to your comfort level and level of willingness. If you do not feel ready to discuss or face something, that is ok, we can start where you feel comfortable at.
No, talking about and facing your trauma is necessary to heal from it. Trauma therapy can be like playing a game of chase with your new puppy. One minute you are running from your puppy the next minute you are chasing the puppy shouting “come here I want to get know you”. By getting to know your “puppy” or trauma, it allows you to make sense of your experiences and let go of any feelings of guilt or shame. Avoiding reminders of trauma however, can worsen how you feel. Every time you avoid a reminder it teaches your brain that since you listened to it and it was correct to label something as dangerous.
Schedule a free consultation to begin the next steps to regaining control of your life