Services
- Individual
- Couples
About My Clients
Do you feel like you’re always on high alert, waiting for the other shoe to drop? Are chunks of your life missing, leaving blank spots where memories should be? Do you find yourself replaying certain experiences over and over again? If so, you’re not alone. Over 70% of adults have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. Trauma can leave you feeling like you’re fighting for your life, even when you’re perfectly safe.
My Background and Approach
The connection between the brain and the body is what causes that keyed up, “I’m in danger!” feeling, even when we’re perfectly safe. (The brain sees danger and pumps adrenalin and cortisol into the body, readying us to fight, flee, or freeze.) But we can use that same brain/body connection to heal. In session, I utilize both “bottom up” and “top down” approaches to dealing with trauma. “Bottom up” approaches involve teaching clients techniques to activate their parasympathetic nervous system. This is the part of our nervous system that helps us physically calm down. It’s often called our “rest and digest” response and is the opposite or our “fight or flight” response. “Top down” approaches involve working with our thoughts, emotions, and perceptions. Simply put, bottom up approaches work through the body to reach the mind, and top down approaches work through the mind to reach the body.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
I know first-hand the way that trauma can impact your life. I also know that healing is possible. With proper treatment, we can create new neural pathways for the brain that lead to a felt sense of safety and connection for trauma survivors. However, this doesn’t happen overnight. In the same way that it takes time to carve a new path through an overgrown wood (and for the old path to become overgrown), creating a new path for our brain to follow, and learning to bypass the path created by trauma, takes time. But it is possible to live free from the effects of trauma. To get started, contact a counselor who specializes in trauma treatment. Look for someone who understands the brain’s response to trauma and can explain that response to you. Steer clear of anyone who promises you an overnight fix. Just as the body takes time to heal from physical trauma, the brain takes time to heal from psychological trauma.