Trauma-Informed Care
Trauma is our reaction to event(s) that overwhelm our nervous systems.
There are some implications to this definition.
Trauma is subjective - trauma impacts our individual nervous systems; therefore, we can have very different experiences even from a shared event because it is the perception of the event that determines how our bodies respond.
Trauma is embodied - trauma is stored in our bodies, not only in our heads. This means that if our bodies perceive a threat, they will react (e.g. feeling fear or unsafe, increased heart rate, fight/flight/freeze/fawn response, etc.) usually before our heads will.
Trauma - what is it?
How can therapy help me?
I incorporate interventions from various modes of therapy when working with trauma, but I use CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy) as my guide.
CPT has been empirically shown to improve trauma symptoms across populations. This therapy focuses on cognitive-specific techniques to examine your thoughts and deeply held beliefs that have likely originated or severely impacted by your experiences.
In other words, it’s a heady approach and works best with those who are motivated to challenge their own thoughts and don’t mind a bit of homework 😌.
You can read more about Cognitive Processing Therapy here.