Exposure Therapy

By avoiding memories/thoughts or external reminders of past trauma, you can reinforce fear. Our brains tend to naturally want to avoid situations that remind us of past trauma as a way of protecting us from danger. However, this is only a temporary solution and can have long-term impacts on fearing more and more things related to trauma. When we gradually expose ourselves to these triggers in a safe way, we allow our brain to heal and recognize that we are no longer in danger.

Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy

This therapy is a structured approach where you can gain understand the connection between your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. With trauma, it helps you be aware of your triggers, decrease your sense of shame, and build resilience.

Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy

EMDR is an effective therapy that assists with your brain reprocessing traumatic memories so they no long feel as intense. It will held reduce overwhelming emotions, increase positive thoughts about yourself, and feel like the memory is in the past instead of something you keep reliving. See my page on EMDR for more information.

Mindfulness Therapy Approach

Using mindfulness, you learn how to reconnect with your body. Learning how to feel safe in your body is important. By bringing attention to body sensations, you can learn to identify which emotions you are feeling and how your emotions can guide you. A few mindfulness skills I teach in sessions are deep breathing techniques, grounding strategies, and progressive muscle relaxation. By using these skills, you can begin to release the trauma stored in your body. Somatic mindfulness empowers you to feel safer in your body and learn to trust your intuition. This approach helps you reduce hypervigiliance (feeling guarded or afraid) to the world around you.