All of us face painful and difficult experiences at different times in our lives. We all come to know what suffering is and find that it can be a significant challenge to manage or overcome. While we all face these things eventually, they have a very personal and individual impact.
It can often take some time to adjust and heal from the painful experiences that come to us. Fortunately, we possess an inherent ability to adapt to adverse circumstances. However, sometimes the stress of our painful experiences overwhelms us to the point where our ability to adapt is restricted and our daily functioning, mood, and well-being suffers.
Well-trained professionals can help when our natural ability to adapt is offline.
What is trauma?
Trauma can be defined in various ways. Dr. Judith Herman said that trauma is “any event that overwhelms the ordinary human adaptations to life.” Dr. Peter Levine refers to trauma as “Anything that is too much, too soon, or too fast (or too little for too long) for our nervous system to handle.” Dr. Gabor Mate wrote, "Trauma is not what happens to you, it's what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you."
An easy way to think of trauma is that it is something emotionally painful and difficult to get past despite our best efforts.
Trauma can be healed
The last several decades of research have helped the fields of psychology and psychotherapy to make major advancements in our ability to help a person heal from trauma. And the great news is that healing does not require being re-traumatized. The best forms of healing involve helping a person to access the naturally-occurring adaptive abilities of our brains that help to change the meaning of trauma and how we see ourselves and the world around us.
Treatment of trauma requires specialized training
Effective trauma treatment should only be provided by a licensed professional who has received training in proven, specialized treatment models. Typically, these treatments go well beyond traditional “talk therapy” to address unhelpful meanings and responses that a person’s nervous system uses to protect the person. In very simple terms, this kind of treatment goes beyond treating the “thinking” brain that most therapy modalities reach, and accesses the “instinctive” or “feeling” brain to promote healing.
At Igniting Change Counseling Center, we utilize only evidence-based therapy models that are proven to have lasting results for treating trauma. Two of our most preferred treatment models are Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART).
We also utilize other models like Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), which is a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).
Regardless of the modality used, our team members always use an approach that is trauma-informed. This means that we carefully respond to a person’s trauma symptoms in a way that supports healing. Sometimes, a person simply needs to share their feelings about their traumatic experience with another trusted person who is trained and prepared to support them appropriately.
What you can expect from trauma treatment at Igniting Change Counseling Center
- Evaluation and Caring About You
Patients who pursue trauma care at our office will meet with a caring, knowledgeable, and trained professional who will first do an evaluation of your mental and behavioral health needs. Your provider will take time to get to know you personally and help you to feel comfortable in our modern, private office setting. Your therapist will gather information about you, your current challenges and experiences, and learn about your mental health history. Evaluations are typically one-hour meetings in our office.
- Treatment Planning for Best Results
After the initial evaluation, your provider will work with you to define a treatment plan to help you achieve your therapeutic objectives. He/she will discuss with you which therapy modalities and frequency of sessions (usually one-hour meetings that are weekly at first, if possible) they recommend to help achieve the best results possible. While it’s very difficult to determine a specific length of time to complete treatment, consistently attending sessions and applying learned skills will help accomplish your goals more effectively.
- Therapeutic Alliance and Follow-Up Appointments
Your therapist will work closely with you over the course of your treatment in regular follow-up appointments, which usually last about an hour and are held weekly or every two weeks. Trust, confidence, and compassion are the hallmarks of the alliances our providers seek to build with patients. We will work with you to resolve trauma at the pace that best fits your needs. In some cases, if it is in a patient’s best interest, we may also utilize co-therapy by involving an additional therapist if their experience or special skills could help you to achieve your goals more effectively.