Therapy for Trauma

Wounds Welcome Here

These are common phrases that come up in sessions with my clients. Trauma comes in all shapes and sizes; you may have heard of "little t" trauma vs. "big t" trauma, complex trauma vs. episodic trauma, systemic, inter-generational, and environmental trauma... you may also hear your friend drop the word "trauma" over lunch when describing a minor inconvenience. Trauma has made its way into the everyday vernacular; and while this may help mental health exposure on a broader scale, it often dilutes the definition... leaving us wondering, "what really is trauma?"

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"'Trauma' is an inner injury, a lasting rupture or split within the self due to difficult or hurtful events. By this definition, trauma is primarily what happens within someone as a result of the difficult or hurtful events that befall them; it is not the events themselves. Trauma is not what happens to you but what happens inside you.” - Gabor Maté​​​

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My work as a trauma-informed therapist has broadened the definition beyond the scope of TikTok and the DSM (the big manual full of diagnostic criteria). In truth, trauma has less to do with the objective size of the event(s), and more to do with the body's response to it. In other words, you might not have experienced an imminent threat to life, but your body may respond as if it has.

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The first stage of trauma treatment is to establish safety. For some clients, who feel they have never experienced safety in their bodies or relationships, this can be a slow process - but it's quite possibly the most important. Evidence of safety in our therapeutic relationship might look like you telling me if we are moving too quickly, or trusting me to pause you and guide us through grounding skills.

Over time, you'll learn to track your bodily sensations, discern different states of dysregulation, practice coping skills to self-soothe, identify trauma narratives, and ultimately challenge the ones that hold you back. The lingering traces of trauma are often part of a larger story. And while you cannot change what happened to you, you can reclaim power over that story. ​

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"The paradox of trauma is that is has both the power to destroy, and the power to transform and resurrect." - Peter A. Levine

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By deepening your understanding of the mind-body connection, increasing insight into your triggers, and learning how to reestablish safety in your body, you can gain a greater agency over your trauma. My hope is that therapy will help you re-engage with lost parts of yourself, at your own pace. And you don't have to do it alone. ​