Trauma Therapy in Colorado Springs.

Does it seem like no matter how good you have it, you always feel numb? Irritated? Restless?

Do you find yourself avoiding things - even things you like - and you don't know why?

Do you struggle to connect with others?

Does it seem like everything is unsafe? Like you can never feel comfortable in your own skin?

We think of trauma as something that only happens to veterans, or to people who have lived through major events, such as war and violence. But the reality is that there are so many things that can cause trauma symptoms. Being bullied as a child. Witnessing constant arguments. Coercion by people you trust. Being expected to be perfect. Being expected to be silent. Emotional abuse. Emotional neglect. Having to be the adult in the room when you are still a child. These experiences can cause you to feel unsafe, irritable, numb, restless, and nervous - even years after the situation ends.

Overachievers are often driven by these unseen traumas. People who feel like they need to be perfect, or must be the best at everything can be reacting to emotional neglect and parentification in their childhood. If you spent your childhood feeling like you weren't ever good enough to be loved unconditionally, you'll spend your adulthood feeling the same way.

What are the symptoms of trauma?

Trauma symptoms include anxiety, hypervigilance, intrusive thoughts, sadness, distrust of others, avoidance of people and places that make you anxious, nightmares, irritability, numbness, and feeling like your life isn’t real. These symptoms happen more often than we think, and can sometimes be confused with depression or anxiety. Experiencing trauma - especially as a child - often results in symptoms of depression, such as sadness, withdrawal, and feeling like there's something wrong with you that you just can't fix. It also results in symptoms of anxiety; shakiness, irritability, recklessness, and a feeling that you're never really safe. Many people suffer from trauma symptoms in silence, not knowing that trauma therapy can benefit them. They simply go through life feeling like they are broken, damaged, and intrinsically worthless. But this isn't the case.

The good news is that trauma is simply a normal reaction to an abnormal situation. What we think of as trauma symptoms are really just the way the brain acts in survival mode. Because trauma indicates that the brain is structurally sound, trauma is treatable.

How does trauma therapy help?

Trauma therapy in Colorado Springs teaches you how your brain works, what happens when you are feeling trauma symptoms, and gives you the tools to manage those symptoms. Using mindfulness, present-moment awareness, cognitive reframing, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and EMDR, people with trauma symptoms and complex PTSD are able to live normal lives and discover who they are beneath the sadness and pain.

Modern trauma therapy is different from the trauma therapy of the past. This isn't the old days when a therapist forces you to talk about your worst moments out loud. I use modern techniques that focus on learning skills and developing tools to recognize when your brain is in survival mode and then calm it down. You'll learn how your brain works, what is happening, and how to stop it - all without talking about the worst moments of your life. With modern trauma therapy, you'll get to work with me to choose how much you want to talk about the trauma itself and when.

As someone who has experienced modern trauma therapy as both a therapist and a client, I can attest to the effectiveness of learning skills to manage your emotions. Using techniques that work with you, instead of against you, results in peace of mind and understanding. Working with an empathetic counselor who truly understands how painful complex PTSD and trauma symptoms can be will help mitigate some of the suffering of therapy and gives you a nonjudgmental space to learn how to handle stress and manage your emotions.

You may be wondering…

What if my trauma isn't bad enough for therapy?

The fact is, if your brain recorded a situation as being traumatic, it doesn't matter how traumatic the situation really was. I've worked with several people who had intense trauma symptoms that couldn't be traced to anything horrifying. But they were suffering all the same. Your trauma doesn't have to be "good enough" for you to benefit from trauma therapy. If you're suffering, that's good enough. Your suffering is valid.

What if I don't want to talk about what happened to me?

Modern trauma therapy isn't about forcing you to talk about your worst moment until you are tired of it. Overcoming and managing your symptoms is a matter of learning to recognize patterns, calm your emotions, and then make decisions about how you want to proceed through life. When you feel like you are ready to process the actual events that happened to you, exposure therapy modalities, such as EMDR, can help you to process your past. But you don't have to go there until you and your therapist decide together that you are ready.

How do I know I'm ready for trauma therapy?

You can start whether you feel ready or not. Trauma treatment starts with developing skills to manage your emotions. We will focus on understanding trauma reactions, identifying triggers, and learning what to do when you're triggered. You'll develop emotional intelligence and an understanding about yourself that will help you go through your day with confidence and self-compassion. And, when you do feel ready, we can face your trauma together.

I have performed Counseling in Colorado Springs with veterans, athletes, business leaders, educators, and others who have suffered for years from the despair and terror of trauma. Once they made the commitment to themselves to overcome it, they found lasting peace. They learned skills to calm themselves down and lift themselves up. I have training in crisis, trauma, complex trauma treatment, and EMDR and have worked with several people whose lives were changed forever when they made the choice to do the work with me. And I've done the work myself. I know how hard it is to learn these skills and overcome a hard past, and I'm inspired every day watching my clients strive for a better tomorrow.

It's normal to have a lot of questions about trauma treatment. If you're in Colorado Springs or anywhere in Colorado, feel free to contact me with any questions you have. We can also schedule a 15-minute consultation that will give you the chance to ask me questions directly and get to know if we are a good fit.

Don't suffer any longer. Contact me today.