Trauma Therapy
What is Trauma?
Trauma is an experience or a series of experiences occurring within or before a person’s lifetime that threatens the physical, emotional, spiritual, and/or cultural integrity of the person. The trauma can be facilitated through physical and verbal actions of humans and natural and environmental disasters (SAMHSA, 2022).
Trauma is a universal experience, something every person will endure in their lifetime whether it be a global pandemic, war, a car accident, abuse, illness, or instances of oppression. Responses to traumatic events can range from distressing, neutral, to growth-oriented. Folx who experience a distressed trauma response often seek support from a mental health professional.
Common trauma symptoms (distressed response) include but are not limited to:
Re-experiencing: flashbacks, intrusive thoughts or memories, or physical symptoms
Avoidance: avoidance of people, places, situations, thoughts, or feeling that remind the person of the traumatic experience
Arousal or High Activation: difficulty sleeping, trouble concentrating, hyper-vigilance, easily startled, or risky behaviors
Cognitive and Mood: isolation, difficulty remembering the traumatic event, blaming self or others, changed view of the world, or difficulty experiencing joy and happiness
Click here for more information & resources on trauma
What is Trauma Therapy?
“Trauma is a fact of life. It does not, however, have to be a life sentence.”
First of all I want to say that healing is possible! Trauma therapy can be part of that journey to healing and wellbeing.
Trauma therapy focuses on supporting individuals to manage symptoms, develop coping skills, and/or process traumatic experiences. There are various approaches a therapist can use in trauma therapy. This may includes Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), narrative therapy, parts work (Internal Family Systems or Ego States Therapy), somatic therapies, expressive therapies, and many more.
As a trauma therapist, I firmly believe ethical and effective trauma therapy must be trauma-informed. Therapy that uses trauma-informed care (TIC) is 1) safe, 2) trustworthy and transparent, 3) collaborative and mutual, 4) the client has empowerment, voice, and choice, 5) and cultural, historical, and gender issues are considered/addressed.
Peer support is another principle of TIC. Although this is not something we will directly be using in therapy sessions, I believe in the importance of connection and community for healing from trauma. I support clients in developing skills to cultivate community, as well find resources for peer support.
Regardless of the approach I use in providing trauma-focused therapy, I am guided by the principles of trauma-informed care and the stages of trauma therapy, developed by Judith Herman. These stages are not linear, although we will always start in the Safety & Stabilization stage. Sometimes we may return to a stage, move forward to one, and there is potential we may decide not to complete a stage.
Trauma therapy is meant to be intentional, for it to be safe and healing. However, in the name of transparency, sometimes trauma therapy can feel slow. I want to validate this, but reinforce the intention behind this pacing to cultivate a safe experience. During sessions, I will always explain my reasoning behind navigating therapy a certain way, and work collaboratively to ensure therapy is supportive and client-centered.
Stages of Trauma Therapy
The primary focus of this stage is for the individual to increase their sense of external and internal safety. Work in this stage can include:
Learning about trauma (neurobiology, symptoms, general psycho-education)
Developing coping skills to manage distressing symptoms and increase emotional regulation
Building trust between the therapist and client
Safety & Stabilization
Remembering & Mourning
In this stage, the focus becomes processing the traumatic memories and navigating the grief that can associated. It should be named, trauma processing is optional. For some folks, reliving or processing a traumatic event may not be helpful or healing. I will collaborate with you to decide if processing would be supportive in our work together.
Reconnection & Integration
The cornerstone of this stage is integrating the traumatic experience into your life, while reconnecting to self and others. This may look like developing a new sense of self, finding new meaning and purpose.
We Can Heal
Liberation and Anti-Oppressive Framework
in Trauma Therapy
Liberation and anti-oppressive therapeutic practices are rooted in social-justice principles, acknowledging the impact of systemic and structural oppression on individuals and society. Instances of oppression (e.g., racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, xenophobia, etc) are traumatic, and affect mental health. Let me repeat, oppression is trauma. Due to this, I feel it is imperative to take an approach in therapy that acknowledges oppression, and disrupts oppressive systems.
Therapy that embodies a liberation and anti-oppressive framework:
Recognizes and addresses the impact of oppression
Holds the intersectional identity of people
Is strength-based and person-centered
Emphasizes collaboration, partnership, and co-creation in therapy
Is rooted in empowerment and resiliency
Acknowledges the power differential in the therapeutic relationship, focuses on challenging the power imbalance
Therapist practices critical self-reflection and accountability