Trauma and Complex PTSD Therapy for Adults

What is Trauma?

Trauma is a lasting emotional response to a distressing event in the past that can lead to symptoms of anxiety, chronic stress/pain, depression, insecurity, distrust, negative thoughts, and other difficulties. Have you ever had a reaction or response that was bigger than the situation itself? Sometimes that can be a sign of childhood trauma, our body responding to something in the past rather than the present. By the end of the article, you will learn some common signs of trauma and the type of therapies that are effective in trauma treatment.

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Signs of Childhood trauma:

  • You had parents or caregivers that were emotionally or physically unavailable

  • You were ignored if you did something wrong

  • You were compared to your siblings or other children your age

  • You were bullied or lacked a sense of belonging

  • You had instability in the home such as frequent moves, parents with mental health concerns, substance use, domestic violence, or financial stress

  • You experienced misattunement or often felt misunderstood

Traumatic events include:

  • Parent’s divorce or separation

  • The sudden death of a loved one

  • Sexual or physical assault

  • Car accidents

  • Natural disasters

  • Hospitalization

  • Systemic oppression

My hope is for you to feel less controlled by your past and to regain more power in your present and future.

As a trauma therapist in NYC, I offer evidence-based modalities that are used in treating trauma. Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) and Somatic Experiencing (SE). Sometimes traditional talk therapy does not work with trauma, according to SE founder Peter Levine-

“Trauma is not in the event, but in the nervous system.”

When we experience trauma, our system has experienced a threat and that threat is stored within our bodies and gets triggered as we are adults because of our natural fight, flight, or freeze response coming to protect us. We logically know that we are no longer under threat, however, our system has not been able to let it go. By working with our bodies we can find grounding and break away from the automatic responses we once needed to survive. Feel free to contact me if you’d like to learn more about how I can help you in your trauma recovery today.