PTSD/Trauma

Symptoms of Trauma

Nightmares. Intrusive thoughts.

Reliving the trauma over and over.

Avoidance.

Intense shame, guilt, anxiety, panic.

When the symptoms don’t go away…

It’s common for anyone to have these symptoms following a trauma. However, they typically subside after a few weeks.

For some people, these symptoms persist for months, even years, after the trauma occurred. Living this way is like being ‘haunted’ by the trauma, day after day.

Many types of events can cause a trauma reaction. These can be either directly experienced or witnessed. I have worked extensively with adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse, childhood physical and verbal abuse, rape and domestic violence. I have also worked with trauma caused by car accidents, kidnapping, being held hostage, torture, murder and natural disasters.

Traumatic Invalidation

Traumatic invalidation is another common form of trauma that I treat. Traumatic invalidation occurs when a person is in an environment that repeatedly ignores, minimizes or punishes their inner emotional experiences.

A person who has experienced traumatic invalidation has gotten the message repeatedly that their feelings, beliefs and ideas don’t matter, that they’re wrong, or simply that their feelings and thoughts are stupid. Traumatic invalidation can cause long-term emotional dysregulation and intense distress.

Let’s address your trauma and/or PTSD

If you’re suffering with symptoms from past trauma, I can help you heal and alleviate those symptoms with prolonged exposure treatment. Read more about how prolonged exposure effectively treats PTSD and trauma here.