Trauma, PTSD, and Chronic Traumatic Responses

The symptoms of trauma arise from the tremendous amount of energy locked within the nervous system that never was able to be used to do what the body was programmed by nature to do: fight or flee.

SYMPTOMS:

Loss of a sense of the future, Hopelessness
Shame and worthlessness
Emotional Overwhelm
Insomnia
Decreased Concentration
Numbing
Loss of Interest
Irritability
Depression
Little or no memories
Nightmares, Flashbacks
Hypervigilance, Mistrust
Generalized anxiety, Panic attacks
Chronic pain, Headaches
Substance abuse, eating disorders
Feeling unreal or out of body
Self-destructive behavior
Loss of sense “of who I am”, identity

SOMATIC AND SENSORIMOTOR PSYCHOTHERAPY

Somatic therapy, or body-centered therapy, is the cutting edge therapeutic way for working with traumas that have left destructive or limiting patterns.  These traumas can be acute, as in PTSD, or chronic, as in the case of childhood abuse and neglect of any kind. Trauma survivors are often cut off from their bodies, with few resources for handling the stressors of life.

The addition of Sensorimotor Psychotherapy skills to my trauma work has greatly helped the clients who come to me for treatment of trauma.https://www.sensorimotorpsychotherapy.org/home/index.html

In Somatic work the quality of life most often lacking in trauma, safety, is created first. We teach the nervous system to manage the stresses of life differently, one small layer at a time, through mindfulness of the physiology of the body. We attune to the nervous system and how it gives information throughout the body with the intention of making new connections in the brain that allow for healthier responses. When the body is in the present and feels safe, our mind makes new meaning of the events that were previously thought to be unmanageable and unresolvable.  We regain our capacity to be resilient in the face of life’s challenges and increase our regulation of our nervous system so that we can relax.

The result of somatic therapy is an inner experience of yourself as centered within yourself, feeling present and alive to your life, and being able to connect to the tools that will bring comfort and support.

EMDR

Somatic work is especially helpful for healing trauma and has come to be regarded as the leading method for resolving PTSD and its constellation of symptoms.  EMDR is a form of somatic work, and I have been practicing EMDR since 2002.  EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing.  https://emdria.site-ym.com/page/emdr_therapy