Trauma

The symptoms of physiological trauma (PTSD) 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.

Trauma from childhood mis-attunements with parents and other attachment figures manifests in negative beliefs systems about our selves, and/or the world at large.

Both of these trauma types are extremely painful and result in many of the same 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
Self-esteem issues

SOMATIC THERAPY, SENSORIMOTOR AND EMDR

In Somatic work, we attune to the nervous system and make new connections in the brain that re-wire the brain with healthier responses. Safety is created. 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. 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 and those around us can relax.

Somatic therapy, or body-centered therapy, is the cutting edge therapeutic way for working with all kinds of traumas and their 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

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

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.