Trauma Survivor Self-Regulating Options
Trauma survivors often find themselves overwhelmed with thoughts, emotions, memories, unwanted bodily sensations or an absence of feeling, blank mind, out of touch with self. It is common for survivors of interpersonal trauma to experience one of these 2 extremes which I refer to as dysregulation. Google “window of Tolerance” for a variety of videos to explain this phenomena...
Welcome to Enrichment Therapy in Waco, Texas!
You have come in search of help. For some, your story haunts you with vivid detail every day. For others, your story seems to have disappeared, yet you know something is wrong, very wrong from your past. It tends to be one extreme or the other, how our trauma can haunt us. Now, as an adult, if you could boil it down to one word, why you are searching for help, perhaps that word would be fear. Fear now haunts you. Fear that the past can repeat. Fear that you can experience trauma again, or it will pass on to others whom you love. Fear of the nightmares, recurring thoughts, flooding emotions or no emotions, racing thoughts, struggles to focus and not getting things done. Fear of why you feel so blank, empty, lost to yourself.
All you want is a little peace of mind and a life you can love living. The problem is resurfacing trauma, angst, fear. You may find yourself struggling with some of these experiences and thoughts:
- Impending doom
- Unwanted memories
- No memories – your history seems void, empty, blank
- Unpleasant bodily sensations
- Do I have what it takes to . . . . . ?
- Am I even worthy?
- Am I broken and defective beyond repair?
- Is my worth tainted, destroyed?
- Is my lack of worth why trauma happened to me? Is it my fault?
- It seems like there are just too many dragons to slay!
Your life feels restricted and crumbling. It is NOT crumbling. A crumbled cake cannot be put back together. Your life can be. The feeling of crumbling is not a fact of your life. It is just a feeling. Yes, you are overwhelmed, feeling vulnerable, lost, helpless. That is a big reason why therapists exist. You are not helpless. A therapist can support you and you can find your way out of pain and fear, and into a life you love living. The truth is this: no one had the right to hurt you, you are worthy simply because you are, you deserve a life you love living, and you deserve resilience - to thrive. In therapy you can find a sense of agency, empowerment, purpose, worth, and initiative . . . more. Together these constitute healing and forward momentum.
If you choose to work with me, I will support and guide you through healing. It will take time and it will be hard work. You do hard things every day, so you’ve got this, and you will not be alone. We can chat (email me at this link to set a time to chat) briefly to determine if you feel good about working with me and to determine if I am the right fit for you. When working with me, I will help you understand how trauma impacted you at the biological, neurological or cellular level, I will help you understand triggers, notice your own triggers and triggered responses, and equip you to disarm those triggers. I will help you reduce the severity of your response to triggers and reduce the frequency and duration of triggered states. I will give you the tools you need to get out of paralysis and overwhelming thoughts or emotions. Rediscover or perhaps for the first time discover your worth and power. I have over three decades of experience and will use my skills, knowledge, resources, and tools to support you in your healing work.
I know the pain of trauma personally and professionally and I know it is excruciating. I know the experience of trauma may have disrupted your life, relationships, parenting, work, sleep, eating, focus, productivity, self-compassion and love, and just about everything else in life. I know at times you feel like you cannot breathe or get out of bed or take a step because the trauma induced fear is so big and so loud or insidiously quiet, like it is lurking. Life does not have to be controlled by the past, you can be free, and you can live a life you love. I know you may be thinking that therapy and trauma recovery work will hurt too much. You may be thinking I can’t be helped; I am beyond repair. Or you may be thinking; I don’t want a therapist to just listen, I want a therapist who will give me real help and, I don’t want to be labeled as crazy just to get that help.
As I guide and support you, we will begin with you teaching me your history, what you can recall of it, in general terms. I will NOT ask you to go through the details. No sense in reliving all of that, as I am sure you experience that enough without having to recount the details to me. Together we will prioritize what to work on, in what sequence, with me giving input from the expertise of trauma, and you from the expertise on yourself and your life. I will share with you my various tools and approaches to trauma recovery work, and you have the freedom to opt in or out of what I suggest. We will find the pathway to healing that suits you best. Among the most common goals for trauma healing work are:
- Decrease triggers
- Increase feeling like I’m in control of myself
- Improved relationships
- Feeling normal and worthy
- Having privacy for my healing work
- Reaching a place of living a life I love
To get started with me, simply email or call. I am very difficult to reach by phone, but I will return your call within 24 to 48 business hours if you leave a brief message. Once we connect and it seems we are a good fit to work together we will schedule an appointment. See the new to Enrichment page for onboarding and pricing details.
What is at stake if I do not do trauma healing work with a therapist?
Continued:
- angst and fear
- triggering
- relationship distress
- work distress
- disturbed sleep
- problems focusing
- overwhelming thoughts and emotions
- can’t be myself or don’t know myself
- emotional distress
Lost:
- joy and contentment
- quality of life
- inner peace
The vast majority of all trauma survivors suffer with symptoms of emotional and relational distress. Nobody wants to live with this distress. Help is available at Enrichment through traditional and non-traditional forms of therapy that approach healing in a holistic manner. Call or email today for a consultation to start on the pathway to healing. Move towards a life you love living.
