Trauma Therapy
Healing From Trauma
The ACED team is fully specialized in all of the different types of trauma, and we practice trauma-informed care as a standard of treatment. We are here to help you better understand yourself, how to heal fully, and how to create an internal sense of safety and trust in yourself.
The ACED clinicians are trained and experienced in working with all of the different presentations of trauma:
Developmental and relational trauma
Attachment trauma
Dissociation (e.g., emotional numbness, losing time, loss of sense of self, loss of physical sensations, etc.)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Panic attacks and Panic Disorder
Phobias
Social anxiety
Complex PTSD or complex trauma
Extreme people pleasing, perfectionism, fawn response
We’re Here to Help
Trauma is complex
Experiencing a traumatic event can change the way you see the world, and can change the way you see and experience your own self. Your identity may feel shaky, and your relationships, your work or school life, and your ability to care for yourself may be suffering.
Another kind of trauma, relational, attachment, or developmental trauma, is not a singular event, but rather a persistent experience of abuse or neglect in an important relationship chronically over time. Emotional neglect by a parent growing up is an example of this, along with the more well known kinds of abuse/neglect, such as bullying or gaslighting.
Trauma can impact your sense of self on a profound level, which can affect every other part of your life. The clinicians at ACED are experienced and trained to help you to reprocess traumatic experiences and heal.
Trauma is more common than you think.
Underneath the vast majority of mental health concerns is usually some kind of trauma. That’s because surviving a traumatic event or living through ongoing trauma as a child, teen, or adult can push us out of our coping capacity. When we don’t have the knowledge, support, or resources to cope with this trauma, our brains creatively find ways to help us survive. Which, is quite extraordinary when you think about it. It’s just that these coping strategies, while functional and helpful in the moment, tend to be dysfunctional over time. Enter: eating disorders, substance and alcohol use, dissociation, self-sabotaging behaviors, disorders of over-control, body dysmorphia, obsessive over-thinking, and many more. All of these issues are actually ways to cope! Our brains search for safety, predictability, and to escape or avoid pain in many different ways. Working with a specialized therapist can help you to figure out how to cope in less harmful ways.
Trauma affects all people regardless of age, gender, socioeconomic status, race, body size, or ability. Trauma is unfortunately a part of reality for many people. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) tells us that two thirds of children experienced at least one traumatic event by age 16. Furthermore, according to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lifetime. Trauma is also considered a risk factor for many mental health issues, including eating disorders, anxiety disorders and depression, and substance use.
Types of Trauma
Acute trauma
Acute trauma comes from a single distressing event. Some examples are car accidents, rape, natural disaster, or experiencing or witnessing a violent event. People have all different kinds of reactions, including anxiety, agitation, confusion, numbness or dissociation, and despair or depressive symptoms. The impact on a person’s life is unique to the person, with some people experiencing more difficulty with everyday functioning in the aftermath. Some folks develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Read more.
Chronic trauma
Chronic trauma comes from from ongoing exposure to a highly dangerous or distressing event. This type of trauma takes place over weeks, months, or years. Some examples are domestic violence, physical or sexual abuse, physical and/or emotional neglect, and bullying. Children are particularly vulnerable to the impact of chronic trauma, which causes a child’s developing brain to be in a heightened and activated state for an unnaturally long period of time. Over time, this can have a lasting impact on a child’s ability to function, as well as their emotional, psychological, and physical well-being.
Complex trauma
The third type of trauma is complex trauma. Complex trauma refers to situations where there is exposure to multiple traumatic experiences that are often interpersonal in nature (i.e., dealing with relationships), like abuse and/or neglect. Because there is a long-term component to complex trauma, the effects on a person are invasive and multifaceted. This often happens in early life, and the impact on the child’s development can be profound, which in turn can result in continued hardships over the lifespan.
Trauma Therapy Helps
Trauma impacts people indiscriminately. Seeking support is a delicate process and we take this very seriously. It’s important that you find a therapist who not only understands trauma, but will also meet you where you are at in the healing process.
There is hope and a path forward. Many people find healthy ways to cope with and heal from trauma – and even grow from it. As a result of trauma therapy, you may discover strength and capacity that you didn’t know you had. Perhaps you will grow from this, and redefine your life in empowering and meaningful ways.
Let Us Help
With the help of a skilled, specialized therapist and/or dietitian (if your trauma has affected your relationship with food), you can develop the insight and compassionate self-care needed to sustain the long journey of healing. We can provide the support you need:
You will receive a personalized treatment plan that is highly specific and aligned with your unique needs and goals
Tools and skills to manage and diminish troubling symptoms
Support in developing insight and understanding about yourself
Education about the science behind trauma
Help learning to regulate and soothe your intense emotions
Coping skills to advocate for yourself, care for yourself, and make changes that you desire
Inspiration, motivation, and accountability
So much love and compassion
We utilize a number of therapeutic modalities to aid in your unique recovery process:
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Psychodynamic Theory
Feminist Theory
Health at Every Size® and Intuitive Eating
Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Parts Work
Relational Cultural Theory
Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT)
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
We Cherish Your Autonomy
You and you alone (given that you are an adult) are in charge of your body. You make decisions based upon what you believe is best for you. We will have plenty of recommendations (see above) to aid your recovery process, and if your symptoms are more severe, we may be more directive in nature. However, you are always free to agree or disagree, to come and go as you please, and do what you believe is the best thing for you.
We believe that you must make your own decisions to get the most out of therapy, and we support you in doing so. We cannot make you do anything, and you simply will not change unless you want to. We unconditionally accept you for who you are, right now.
Trauma healing is possible.
We’re here for you. Schedule a complimentary phone consultation to ask all of your questions, and see if we might be a good fit for you.
