Trauma Therapy
Has Trauma Left An Enduring Mark On Your Life?
Are you struggling with chronic fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses in your daily life because of something painful you witnessed or experienced? Do you have flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts and memories that keep you stuck in the past, unable to move forward with your life?
Perhaps you’re constantly on guard, waiting for history to repeat itself, so you can never really relax or be in the moment. Or maybe the psychological distress of trauma is manifesting as headaches, stomachaches, muscle tension, or other psychosomatic issues you’re hoping therapy can help with.
Trauma Has The Power To Disrupt Nearly Every Aspect Of Daily Life
At times, it can be challenging to function optimally and engage in activities that bring you fulfillment and satisfaction. Difficulty concentrating, remembering things, and controlling your emotions can affect your performance at school or work. As a result, you may be less productive, call out of work often, or have conflicts with peers or supervisors.
Trauma often has a domino effect where low self-esteem and the feeling of being fundamentally flawed impact your confidence levels, which limits your ability to pursue goals and ambitions. It can even strain relationships and create trust issues that make it difficult to build healthy connections.
When your life is overshadowed by trauma, every day can be a battle, which is why our therapists at Bozeman Counseling Center want to help. With time and patience, therapy can help you heal your wounds, “rewire” your nervous system, and build a life free from the limitations of trauma.
Are you ready to schedule or have any questions? Send us a message
Anyone’s Life Can Be Upended By Trauma
Trauma occurs when you witness or experience something so distressing and so painful that it impacts how you think, feel, and function in life. Things like physical assaults, childhood abuse, or losing a loved one can all result in trauma and even PTSD, especially in the absence of therapy.
ACEs or Adverse Childhood Experiences (forms of trauma in itself) can also precipitate challenges for people down the road, leading to increased socioeconomic, medical, and mental health risks as adults.
In a landmark study, nearly two-thirds of adults surveyed reported at least one adverse childhood experience, such as abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction. Additionally, more than one in five respondents reported experiencing three or more ACEs.*
Reaching Out For Support Can Be Hard For Several Reasons
Sometimes, our culture stigmatizes mental health problems, which often discourages people from seeking help or talking openly about their experiences. This can lead to feelings of shame, isolation, and a reluctance to address trauma-related symptoms.
Generational trauma also impacts entire families who unknowingly carry that history in their nervous systems, passing it from one generation to the next. Plus, our society glamorizes violence through media and entertainment, desensitizing many individuals to their own traumatic experiences.
However, in rural areas like Montana where people can easily become isolated, it’s especially important to find support, which is why we’re here. Our trauma specialists at Bozeman Counseling Center want to help you process your experience, learn new skills for regulating your emotions, and take concrete steps toward healing.
Therapy Tackles Trauma And Its Impact On Multiple Levels
Our nervous system runs the entire length of the body. So, when trauma hits—awakening our inner warrior—it has a massive impact mentally, physically, and emotionally. Even if we don’t have memories of the event, we can still have somatic reactions.
At Bozeman Counseling Center, our therapists are trained in Neuro-Psychotherapy, which incorporates various modalities, like Somatic therapy approaches and Polyvagal Theory, to help you heal from trauma on multiple levels. We want to help “rewire” your brain and nervous system, allowing you to interrupt the feedback loop the brain gets caught in after trauma so you can start living again.
What Can You Expect In Trauma Treatment Sessions?
We always start by establishing a sense of safety and trust in trauma therapy. Our counselors are trained to create a safe and supportive environment where you can feel comfortable sharing your experiences without fear of judgment or re-traumatization.
Understanding the physiological and psychological aspects of trauma can normalize your experience and empower you to have more control over how that experience affects you day to day. So, we’ll provide you with psychoeducation about trauma, including common reactions and how it affects the brain and body.
You’ll also learn effective coping skills and grounding techniques to help you stay connected to the moment and manage distressing symptoms, such as flashbacks or dissociation. These strategies could include deep breathing, sensory exercises, and other methods that bring focus to the present moment.
What Kind Of Tools Do We Use In Trauma Counseling?
Our counselors use a trauma-informed approach to treatment, which emphasizes a sensitivity toward the impact of trauma on individuals' lives. This involves recognizing the prevalence of trauma, understanding its effects, and adapting therapeutic interventions accordingly.
We also draw from a mix of eclectic and evidenced-based treatment models for addressing trauma and PTSD on a psychological, emotional, and somatic level:
EMDR for trauma and PTSD is a specialized approach to therapy that helps individuals process painful memories and reduce distressing symptoms. It involves bilateral stimulation (e.g., eye movements, taps, or sounds) while recalling traumatic memories to facilitate adaptive processing.
Narrative Therapy for trauma and PTSD helps clients reframe their traumatic experiences and construct a coherent narrative of their lives. Our therapists support clients in exploring alternative interpretations, finding meaning, and reclaiming agency in their stories.
Somatic experiencing focuses on the connection between the body and mind in processing trauma. We help clients notice bodily sensations and release tension or stored trauma energy through gentle movement, breathing exercises, and mindfulness. Our therapists assist with developing and strengthening coping skills to manage stress, regulate emotions, and enhance resilience.
We also utilize creative resources, such as Sand Tray Therapy, Art Therapy, and Walking Therapy, to help clients access memories, associations, and past traumas in a way that is safe, contained, and healing.
Whatever You Are Going Through, You Are Not Alone
It's understandable if you feel overwhelmed or discouraged by the weight of a traumatic experience, but we want to offer you a beacon of hope: Therapy can truly make a difference in your healing journey.
In the safety of the therapeutic space, you'll find a compassionate guide who will walk alongside you, supporting you every step of the way. Through evidence-based techniques and personalized approaches, counseling can help you untangle the knots of trauma, gradually easing the grip it has on you until you are free to move forward with your life, unrestricted by the past.
Do You Still Have Questions Or Concerns About Trauma Therapy?
I have a fear of reliving my traumatic memories.
We offer a collaborative healing experience that allows you to move at your own pace and in a way that feels safe and empowering. Gradually, that sense of control and agency will enable you to overcome the fear of reliving past trauma memories, allowing you to heal and reclaim your life.
What if I become overwhelmed and can’t cope with my emotions?
Our therapeutic process is collaborative and meant to empower you to support your emotional well-being and healing journey both in and outside of trauma treatment sessions. So, before we do any of the deeper work, we’ll first equip you with a range of tools and techniques for managing and navigating any overwhelming emotions associated with trauma. As therapists, monitoring how you feel and tending to your nervous system is our top priority.
What if my therapist doesn’t believe me about my trauma?
As a trauma-informed practice, we understand how crucial it is to believe and validate a client’s experiences of trauma. A fundamental aspect of therapy is creating a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship where clients feel heard, understood, and validated. That’s why our therapists at Bozeman Counseling Center are trained to approach trauma and PTSD treatment with empathy, openness, and a nonjudgmental attitude.
There Is A Way To Live That Puts You In Control
If you are tired of your life being overshadowed by the past, trauma therapy at Bozeman Counseling Center can help you build a future in which you finally feel safe and empowered. For a free, 15-minute consultation, please Contact Us or call (406) 624-6007—or get started on your healing journey today by scheduling your initial online or in-person trauma/PTSD therapy session.
*https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html
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