Is Trauma Stopping You From Living A Healthy Life?
Are you thinking about PTSD treatment?
Did you have a damaging experience and now you’re always on the lookout because you expect something bad will happen again? It could be you get flashbacks that distress you. Perhaps you avoid reminders or triggers of traumatic memories.
Or maybe you find it hard to remind yourself that the worst happened “back then” and isn’t “still happening” now?
This might cause you anxiety and you may experience various symptoms. You might fight with letting go of these anxious feelings at night when you’re trying to sleep. Or you could sleep only to find nightmares and uneasy rest.
What Does PTSD Do To A Person?
You’d probably love to trust others and open up to them, but you’ve had certain experiences that stop you from fully going there.
Perhaps you feel “on the outside looking in” at people. You may also experience feelings of guilt, but in spite of all that, you probably still want to connect with others and live a more fulfilling life.
At this point, you’re probably looking for help with your PTSD symptoms. Fortunately, if you’re ready to work with a trained professional on PTSD treatment, you can get through what you’re experiencing now and heal.
Over 8 Million American Adults Have PTSD
That figure is from the Anxiety & Depression Association of America. Another figure comes from the American Psychiatric Association who state “an estimated one in 11 people” experience PTSD. So if you think you may be in need of trauma therapy, just know you’re not alone!
PTSD can show up in 2 ways: “big” and “complex.” If a person has “big” trauma, they’ve most likely suffered a single event or series of events in a short period of time. A person with big trauma has endured experiences like war, rape, the death of a loved one, and so on.
If a person has “complex” trauma, they’ve most likely experienced a repeated series of events that lasted over a long period of time. A person with complex PTSD has survived experiences like child abuse, domestic violence, family dysfunction, and so on.
Unfortunately, some people who experience big or complex trauma may respond to the situation by losing hope or numbing themselves. They may not know that PTSD therapy is one of the most effective treatments for trauma, whether it’s big or complex.
With my help, I can move you away from that cycle of negative memories and anxiety by giving you the skills you need to manage your symptoms and get your life back.
PTSD Treatment Can Help You Reconnect And Heal
You may find yourself dissociating just to make it by. And this can be part of a larger cycle that involves flashbacks, anxiety, and numbing to which there is no magic “cure.”
Without the help of a trauma-focused therapist who looks at the meaning and memory of what happened, you won’t be getting the PTSD treatment that’s “most highly recommended.”
Fortunately, trauma-focused therapy can explore the deeper workings of your symptoms, and I’ll bring this approach to our work together. I’ll also offer you a trauma-informed stance, which addresses how trauma may have impacted your life overall. I’m glad you’re considering taking care of yourself this way, because treating any traumatic experience as something that’s both unique and long-lasting gives PTSD therapy a good shot at healing you.
How Do We Do PTSD Treatment?
During our sessions together, I’ll hold a safe and confidential space for you to share and explore—without any judgment. This is true no matter what topic of conversation and no matter what age, sexual orientation, race, spirituality, or gender you may be. I’d like to work with you on a PTSD treatment plan that we come up with together which addresses your main concerns.
We’ll work on coping skills you can learn and practice with me for how you might respond to PTSD symptoms like depression or loneliness. We’ll work at your pace and we’ll go forward only when you’re ready. We can also take a look at how your body is trying to communicate with you about what’s happening right now versus what happened back then.
2 Of The Evidence-Based Skills I Use In Therapy For PTSD
Existential Therapy
Existential therapy helps you make new meaning out of traumatic events. As your trauma therapist, I’ll help you reinvent what your past and present experiences mean. By treating how you interact with life this way, you’ll eventually live with more freedom from anxiety.
(Click HERE to learn more about my existential style.)
Cognitive Therapy
Cognitive therapy (also called cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT) “has consistently been found to be the most effective treatment of PTSD both in the short term and the long term”. We can work on your trauma-related thinking, or how you view yourself, the world, and others. By examining what makes you anxious this way, we can then restructure your trauma-related thinking so you can move forward.
(Click HERE to learn more about my cognitive style.)
Talking frees up the mind to heal. If we use existential and cognitive techniques together, I am confident we can help you get to a better, calmer place. You can move from managing the aftermath to creating habits that build resilience.
You May Want PTSD Therapy But You Might Have Some Concerns…
Does PTSD treatment work online?
Yes. The best treatment for PTSD includes both online and in-person sessions. I can help how trauma affects you in my office, on the phone, or in a video chat. That’s because the key to trauma therapy is honest and open communication.
Plus, sometimes doing therapy this way is easier for clients who’d prefer to stay closer to home or avoid driving. As long as we make sure your environment is quiet, safe, and private, we can work together on the PTSD therapy methods I described above.
Do I need to relive my trauma in counseling sessions?
No. As your PTSD therapist, your comfort is my highest priority. I’ll always put your sense of safety over anything else we do in session. And I’ll maintain awareness about what you need in the moment, which includes respect for the way you choose to speak your truth.
When we think about working with a trauma therapist, we might think to ourselves, “I’ll relive what happened if I talk about it.” Here’s the truth: like I mentioned, someone who needs therapy for PTSD has troubling thoughts, feelings, and sensations all day… Everyday. And they’ll keep coming up that way. Since you’re probably already reliving what happened, the solution is to find whatever approach works for you to recover when you start working with a therapist.
You can learn how to heal from trauma in whatever way works best for you… which can come through slowly talking about the trauma or just focusing on your body and mind instead. It’s up to you and I’ll listen to your cues.
What if I have more than one kind of trauma?
Someone with trauma can be victimized many different ways. And the more they’re victimized (both subtly and not so subtly), the more they can develop complex PTSD symptoms that make life into a real challenge.
Many people who need therapy for PTSD don’t realize their complex trauma can be treated. They don’t realize the pain is actually something they can learn to manage… and that that’s true regardless of how many bad things happened. But it doesn’t have to be this way for you. Instead, I can provide compassionate guidance so you come to experience those feelings in a different way or maybe even say goodbye to them altogether.
Let Me Help You Find Your Resilience
If you’re ready for a change in your life and you think we could work well together, therapy for PTSD can help. Please call or email me for your free 15-minute consultation so I can assess your needs and answer your questions.
Let’s find out if we’re a good fit. I offer face-to-face therapy in Denver, CO, and I offer confidential online therapy and phone calls as well. Make sure to reach out when you can.
P.S. Check out my PTSD blog… Coming Soon!
If you’re thinking about suicide and are in immediate danger, please call your local emergency number. For Denver, Colorado, call 1-844-493-8255 or text TALK to 38255. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
