Trauma

Experiencing a traumatic event can change our lives in profound ways. Trauma can alter the way we think, the way we feel, our ability to connect with others, and our ability to fulfill our lives in the ways we desire. Experiencing something traumatic can dramatically change the way we view ourselves and the world around us. Undoubtedly, the effects of trauma live in the body wreaking havoc in subtle or overt ways until we are ready to acknowledge and process some of the most difficult experiences of our lives. 

Traumatic experiences can include, but are not limited to

Symptoms of Trauma

Responses to traumatic experiences vary along a continuum from mild distress to severe distress, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). What was life-changing and had lasting effects for one person may not for another person, even though they experienced the same event. In some cases, the traumatic event is forgotten only to be remembered or acknowledged later in life when the memory is triggered by something the person sees, hears, or experiences. In other cases, while the traumatic event is acknowledged, the direct effects on the person who experienced that trauma goes unaddressed. Or, both the trauma itself and the effects of the trauma go unacknowledged and unaddressed.

unaddressed trauma can result in

• Anxiety

• Aggression or excessive anger  

• Panic

• Depression

• Numbness

• Nightmares

• Poor sleep quality

• Mood instability 

• Memory loss

• Flashbacks

• Hypervigilance

• Dissociation

• Fear of intimacy, either sexually, emotionally or both

• Constant fear of death of self or of a loved one

• Illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, etc.

In all cases of trauma, the body's nervous system is triggered to fight, flight, or freeze response. These survival responses occur to varying degrees, and while more dramatic responses to trauma might appear easier to identify, many people live with the effects of trauma on a daily basis without recognizing its destruction of their lives, body, and relationships. The results of trauma listed above are only just a few. When these effects of trauma are experienced and remain unaddressed, people find unhealthy ways to cope with the overwhelming symptoms of trauma. The ways in which people cope with trauma include:

• Substance misuse, abuse, or addiction, including alcohol, marijuana, other recreational drugs, narcotics, prescription drugs, nicotine, etc.

• Isolation

• Denial or minimizing of traumatic experience or effects

• Weight gain

• Anorexia, bulimia, or controlled dieting

• Codependency or other dysfunctional relational patterns

• Suicidal thoughts

• Sex, gambling, shopping, gaming, or technology/social media addiction 

• Loss of sexual desire

• Cutting or self-harm behaviors

• Controlling behaviors

• Overworking

• Excessive exercise 

Over time, these ways in which people cope start to affect their health, their sense of wellbeing, and their relationships. At Evolve In Nature, we often meet people at this place in their lives where the symptoms have become too overwhelming, or the coping method is either no longer working or causing further distress. 

Trauma Therapy: Healing Trauma

Trauma-informed psychotherapy that includes somatic (body-based) interventions, mindfulness, and attachment-based practices are the primary, most effective ways to treat trauma. Healing trauma is a profound, freeing, life-changing experience. Healing from trauma strengthens an individual's sense of self, their relationships, and transforms feelings of overwhelm, helplessness, frustration, or shame into feelings of freedom, connection, competency, and wellbeing. Supportive relationships and skill-building opportunities are two of the most protective factors in overcoming trauma. A nurturing and accepting therapeutic relationship provides the primary tenets of safety and connection where past experiences can be processed.

 At Evolve In Nature, we provide compassionate trauma-informed therapy utilizing neuroscience, somatic-based, and attachment-based therapies to foster healing and growth. In the container of the therapeutic relationship, we work with the body to stabilize a person’s nervous system, building sensation awareness in order to support the nervous system in moving trauma through the body, thereby unlocking it from the flight, fight, or freeze response, which is the cause of much fear, anxiety, dissociation, and depression. We also utilize mindfulness techniques, EMDR, and cognitive interventions when necessary to dismantle long-held negative beliefs and untangle present triggers from past experiences. Additional modalities that are prescribed in supporting the body to heal from trauma can include yoga and massage.       

Trauma therapy in Boulder at Evolve In Nature is evidenced-based and practiced by our compassionate, insightful, informed therapists.

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