Healing Trauma
Your past continues to haunt you.
You no longer live with the yelling, fighting, and drinking of your parents. The abuser from your childhood is far away. Your abusive ex is long gone. You have built your own family since your birth parents abandoned you.
But inside, fear of abandonment follows you. It’s hard to trust others. Thinking of the past stirs up pain and sadness. You try to avoid these feelings.
With friends, you feel like a burden when you express your feelings to others, or you just keep your guard up and don’t let other people in. At home, you struggle to sleep or simply keep up with daily living. You are always “ready for a fight” with your partner. At work, you question your abilities, compare yourself to others, and don’t speak up when you would like to.
This is not the life you want.
The loneliness and isolation are crushing.
Always on edge. Memories of the hurts pop into your head when you don’t want them. You keep having nightmares. You avoid people, places, or things that remind you of the hurts. Sometimes you even feel you are reliving those painful moments. You never feel happy.
The memories and painful words have not left your mind. You blame yourself for what happened. “I can’t trust other people.” “I am permanently ruined.”
You still feel “not good enough”…
You still feel anxious and on edge…
You still doubt yourself…
You still feel disconnected from others…
You think you should be happy by now because you have a great partner and a good job… but you’re not.
When it comes to healing trauma, there’s no set of instructions.
It’s not like there’s step 1, step 2, step 3, and… WALAH! You’re healed! That’s just not reality.
Plus, everyone’s starting from a different place, so healing can’t exactly be put in a box.
When you come to therapy, I’ll listen to your story, and we’ll explore your struggles in-depth.
We will look for the “foundational issue” and start there. False beliefs about who you are. False beliefs about your place in the world. False beliefs about your worth. I listen for these deeper beliefs and help you identify them.
We’ll also identify the individual strengths and abilities you bring to your life, work, and relationships.
Everyone has strengths and skills they bring to the world, but sometimes people cannot see them on their own. By identifying your unique strengths and abilities, we will build those up to grow your confidence. Some of your strengths and skills may even have developed because of the trauma you have experienced.
As your confidence grows, you will begin to see and feel that you ARE good enough.
You will learn strategies and skills to feel peace and calm within your body.
We will practice deep breathing techniques, exercises to release tension from your body, and meditation to calm your mind. This will help you sleep better and feel more relaxed throughout the day.
Finally, we’ll challenge your negative thoughts and beliefs.
“I don’t belong.” “I am worthless.” “I am powerless.” “I am nothing.” “I am unlovable.” “I am defective.” Once we identify these negative core beliefs, we will challenge them by looking for “evidence” that they are false. Then we will replace these false beliefs with new beliefs that are true.
This is the key to escaping your loneliness and isolation… and finding the joy in life that you so desire.
Facing your past traumas can be scary, but you will not be alone.
You will have the support and encouragement you need!
Let’s not let trauma continue to hold power and control over your life.
Let me help you take back your power!
Call me today for your free 15-minute consultation: (907) 691-4528.