Childhood Abuse/Neglect

The effects of trauma live on in our bodies; even if we don't remember what happened, we suffer symptoms such as hyper-vigilance, flashbacks, emotional reactivity, racing thoughts, insomnia, nightmares, anxiety, risky or self-sabotaging behavior, dissociating, numbing out or shutting down, suicidal thoughts, or compulsiveness to name a few. The work involves helping you understand what is happening to you and helping you learn to trust yourself again.

 

People often ask if they need to talk about what happened to them, and no, you don't. In our experience, we find that at some point, you will most likely want to, but it definitely isn't necessary. We can help you make sense of the conflicting impulses you might have and the emotional roller coaster and often debilitating symptoms. We'll work on ways to regulate your nervous system and increase your resilience, and on processing, at your pace and in your own unique way, your traumatic memories. We use parts work, based on Internal Family Systems (IFS) and the Structural Dissociation model. We can also use Janina Fisher's Trauma-Informed Stabilization Treatment, Sensorimotor therapy interventions, somatic therapy, expressive arts activities, hypnotherapy, and EMDR when applicable.

 

Together, and in a way that feels right to you, we'll work to take the power out of the trapped memories so that the trauma you experienced becomes only a chapter in your book rather than the entire story. It is possible to have joy in your life!