Processing Trauma & PTSD

The hummingbird teaches us to transcend time, to recognize that what has happened in the past and what might happen in the future is not nearly as important as what we are experiencing now. It teaches us to hover in the moment, to appreciate its sweetness.

Constance Barrett Sohodski

What is trauma?

Trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances that is experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or threatening and that has lasting adverse effects on the individual's functioning and physical, social, emotional or spiritual well-being. In short, trauma is the sum of the event, the experience, and the effect.

Wilson, C. Ford, J. (2102) SAMHSA's Trauma & Traum-Informed Care Exerts Meeting

How does trauma affect me?

A traumatic experience impacts the entire person - the way we think, the way we learn, the way we remember things, the way we feel about ourselves, the way we feel about other people, and the way we make sense of the world are all profoundly altered by traumatic experiences.

Bessel van der Kolk; From the final action plan, a coordinated response to family violence October 1999

Common concerns…

  • Are you having trouble sleeping, plagued by nightmares or distressing thoughts about traumatic situations you have experienced before or after the medical condition or complex need was diagnosed?

  • Have you experienced reminders of a difficult experiences that distress you, such as learning about the diagnosis or life-threatening aspects of the medical illness or complex need?

  • Do you avoid certain places because they trigger strong emotional responses or physical sensations?

  • Do you sometimes wonder if you caused the medical condition or complex need, if you contributed to suffering in some way, or if you might have been able to avoid the diagnosis?

  • Do you have difficulty feeling positive emotions and feel hopeless about the future because you are always on guard, waiting for the next shoe to drop?

How can therapy help me?

Therapy can…

  • provide you with a comfortable, non-judgmental space to process upsetting or traumatic situations

  • help you recognize and change troubling emotions, thoughts, and behaviors

  • help you develop skills to help identify triggers and manage symptoms

  • help you create distance from emotional responses to problems to make it easier to  identify unhelpful thoughts and look at situations objectively 

  • help you gain more control over your thoughts and feelings about the trauma, which can reduce negative impacts on your life, work and relationships

 

During and after an unexpected, uncontrollable traumatic or life-threatening situation, anxiety is a natural response. Your body responds immediately to the threat and, in some cases, can remain on “high alert” in order to protect you from all future potentially dangerous events. This overstimulated “ready-to-react” mode lowers your ability to handle any amount of stress while experiencing post-traumatic stress symptoms. Taking care of a medical condition or complex need, yourself, and your loved ones can be particularly upsetting when you are suddenly reminded of past troubling experiences and are constantly worried that something bad is going to happen in the future.

Dr. Armer is trained in trauma-informed therapy techniques, such as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Narrative Exposure Therapy,  and Accelerated Resolution Therapy® (ART).

ART is a drug-free, non-hypnosis therapy that works to reprogram the way in which distressing images and memories are stored in the brain so that strong physical reactions and emotional reactions are no longer triggered and negative images are eliminated while leaving the facts intact.

ART uses visualization techniques and attention on how the body is affected by distressing images or memories. These techniques are enhanced through use of rapid eye movements similar to the eye movements present during dreaming.  Because ART is focused on using these calming, therapeutic eye movements to help you process images in your mind, Dr. Armer is a “helpful guide” through the experience; therefore, you do not need to talk about any details of the traumatic event, unless you decide it will be helpful for you to share them.

If you are interested in processing your traumatic experiences in order to reduce their effects, develop a better understanding of yourself, and restore your functioning and health, please reach out to set up a free 15 minute consultation.

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