301 S. Sherman St. Suite 202 Richardson, TX 75081 972-898-1318
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Trauma- big T or little t, it can still hurt
What is trauma?
Trauma refers to the emotional, psychological, and physical response to deeply distressing or disturbing events that overwhelm an individual’s ability to cope. Trauma can result from experiences such as accidents, natural disasters, violence, abuse, or witnessing shocking events. The impact of trauma can be short-term or long-lasting, affecting a person’s mental, emotional, and even physical well-being.
Whether is was a major abuse issue or a seemingly minor issue such as past bullying, the effects can still be present. Trauma is in the eye of the beholder.
the effects of trauma
Trauma can manifest in various ways, including:
- Emotional Symptoms: Anxiety, depression, anger, fear, guilt, and emotional numbness.
- Cognitive Effects: Difficulty concentrating, intrusive thoughts, memory problems, and flashbacks.
- Physical Symptoms: Headaches, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and physical tension.
- Behavioral Responses: Avoidance of triggers, isolation, difficulty trusting others, and changes in mood or behavior.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Some individuals may develop PTSD, a condition characterized by flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance, and emotional distress related to the traumatic event.Depression can make it difficult to enjoy life and engage in activities you once loved. Our therapists are here to help you overcome depression and develop a more positive outlook on life. We offer evidence-based treatments that have been proven to be effective for depression.
Trauma Counseling
If you've experienced trauma, it's important to seek help from a qualified therapist. I have been trained in help clients work through the trauma and develop healthy coping strategies. I offer a variety of trauma-focused therapies to meet your unique needs. See below:
the flash technique
The Flash Technique (FT) is a recently developed evidenced-based therapeutic intervention for reducing the disturbance associated with traumatic or other distressing memories. Unlike many conventional trauma therapy interventions, FT is a minimally intrusive option that does not require the client to consciously engage with the traumatic memory. FT has been demonstrated to be effective in reducing the disturbance level associated with severely painful memories, sometimes in as little as ten to fifteen minutes. Like EMDR, FT utilizes eye movements or alternating tapping and is designed to resolve unprocessed traumatic memories in the brain.
Image Transformation Therapy (IMTT)
This is a type of trauma therapy that is a gentle and thorough release of past hurts, fears, and effects of trauma. Through the use of our God given imagination and breathe we can release unpleasant emotions that are in the body and mind. We can then deconstruct images of past hurts and fears so that the memory of them no longer has such a stranglehold over us.
We can also work in a similar way to release the attraction towards unwanted behaviors such as pornography, excessive drinking, eating, shopping, screen time, social media, etc.
"Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind..."- Romans 12:2
acceptance committment therapy (ACT)
This is a therapeutic approach that assists the client in recognizing difficult habits of thought and coming to accept them, allow them, then taking a healthy action for ourselves based on our values. By not struggling with our thoughts and emotions we begin to take the power out of them and their effect on us. Our thoughts and emotions can be uncomfortable but we can strive to take virtuous actions for ourselves.
"Be a little comfortable with uncomfortable"- David Mora
cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
CBT is a widely-used, evidence-based form of psychotherapy that focuses on changing negative thought patterns and behaviors that contribute to emotional distress. Thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected, and by changing irrational or harmful thoughts and behaviors, individuals can improve their emotional well-being and manage their mental health conditions more effectively.