Trauma
Trauma can occur from any type of distressing event such as the death of a loved one, sexual assault, divorce, or war. Trauma damages your emotional and mental well-being, causing you to feel hurt while physically changing your brain. Areas of your brain that previously worked in one way now have been altered to work differently as a result of physically and emotionally responding to the trauma. You may feel lost after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event.
If you have been through trauma in your life, you need to get help. Our psychologists with experience in treating trauma can help you re-alter your brain to positively deal with any traumatic experiences you have had.
If you are experiencing any of the issues below and have experienced trauma, you could benefit from psychological help.
- Feeling a lack of self-worth
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Difficulty concentrating
- Shock, denial, and confusion
- Flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive memories of the traumatic event
- Memory issues
- Inability to complete normal daily functions
- Withdrawal from others
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Lack of energy
- Tense muscles
- Physical aches and pains
Counselling for trauma:
- Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): The psychologist will encourage you to express your thoughts and feelings in a positive way. He/she can guide you to manage the difficult emotions caused by your trauma.
- Art Therapy: Art therapy is a journey into your unconsciousness. Our therapists will encourage you to create art allowing your feelings to be expressed without speaking directly about them. This process can contribute to your healing.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR): Our psychologists change your horrible memory/memories into a vision of your power. Talking about the event with your psychologist while using an external stimulus such as hand tapping, eye movements, or audio stimulation provides bilateral stimulation of the brain. Through this process, your psychologist will determine what to focus on. You begin to uncover your strength to help you integrate and overcome the traumatic memories.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be part of your trauma. EMDR can help give you the strength to deal with this as well.
Here are some signs you may have PTSD:
- Heightened emotions such as feeling despair and hopelessness, unexplained crying, or depression
- Disconnection
- Emotional numbness or withdrawal
- Recurring thoughts, nightmares, or flashbacks about the trauma
- Constantly feeling anxious or overly alert
- Sudden overprotectiveness and fear for the safety of your loved ones
If you are concerned you or someone you love may have developed PTSD, the psychologists at The Family Psychology Place can offer assessment and counselling to help.
Children at any age can experience trauma and are more likely than adults to have related long-term health problems such as diabetes and heart disease. Adults that go through traumatic events may have difficulty establishing fulfilling relationships and keeping a job. Those that experience trauma in their life may react with alcohol use and smoking, creating ongoing issues. The Family Psychology Place helps you avoid or overcome these kind of negative behaviours by teaching you how to turn a dark experience into one of emotional lift and healing.
We have psychologists skilled in treating specific traumas to help you reclaim control over your life. Discover positive living once more by contacting one of our psychologists today.
