Trauma Therapy

Trauma (PTSD) Therapy
Have you been in a situation where you felt intense FEAR, HELPLESSNESS, OR HORROR? Did you feel that you were threatened by death, serious injury or a threat of physical integrity to yourself or others? If you answered YES to both of these questions then you have experienced a TRAUMATIC EVENT and you may be suffering from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.

When most people think of PTSD, they think of soldiers returning from war and that is accurate because many of our brave soldiers, that I also call Heroes, have experienced a life threatening situation that has caused them to have PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) As a PTSD specialist, I use one of the more successful techniques known as EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). The empirical data supports that EMDR is one of the more effective treatments for PTSD.

Not just soldiers’ experience PTSD; anyone who has experienced a threatening situation and had certain specific responses can have PTSD. I believe how an event affects us emotionally and cognitively determines the severity of it. What might be traumatic to one individual is not necessarily traumatic to another.

STORY/EXAMPLE
There was a boy that I was working with who had been riding in the passenger seat of of the car when a bird smashed into the window and died. The young boy was filled with fear and horror. The young boy was overwhelmed by the fact that he had been scared for his own life for a moment due to the window smashing and he also witnessed a bird die. When some people here this story they state "ah no big deal" but to the young boy it was a big deal. He continued to have reexperience the traumatic event through nightmares and flashbacks to the event. The boy no longer wanted to ride in the front seat of a car. He began to withdraw from his friends and began to believe he would not live very long. He often would have difficulty falling asleep and appeared more irritable at school, had difficulty concentrating and would often have an exaggerated startled responses when other kids would disturb him or call his name.

TRAUMA is unique to each of us and it is important to pay attention to our RESPONSES to certain events, whether the threat is real or imagined, it exists in your mind and it deserves being dealt with and TREATED.

Whether you have been in an ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP, RETURNING FROM WAR OR FEEL YOU HAVE EXPEREINCED A TRAUMATIC EVENT, therapy can be helpful and supportive in coping with the many responses people have.

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence and emotional abuse are behaviors used by one person in a relationship to control the other. Partners may be married or not married; heterosexual, gay, or lesbian; living together, separated or dating. It can happen gradually and DENIAL is often a common defense mechanism associated wth Domesic Violence. Denial occurs because there is often shame and guilt that pairs the reality of the unhealthy relationship. People often suffer in silence while the physical, verbal,emotional and/or sexual battering continues. When you experience domestic violence, it can feel like not matter what you do,say, think, or feel, “you are wrong”. Many women die each year from Domestic Violence and one out of every four visits to the emergency room are related to domestic violence. Just a few examples of Domestic Violence are:

• name-calling or putdowns
• keeping a partner from contacting their family or friends
• withholding money
• stopping a partner from getting or keeping a job
• actual or threatened physical harm
• sexual assault
• stalking
• intimidation

Domestic Violence NEGATIVELY IMPACTS CHILDREN through anxiety problems such as nightmares, flashbacks, startled responses, stomach problems and difficulty trusting adults. It also can be known to cause ADHD, Depression and problems in school. If you are feeling trapped, frustrated, angry, or stuck in an abusive relationship, Please REACH OUT NOW!! THERE IS HOPE AND THERE IS HELP.