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Trained Trauma Therapists
Is there a difference between a trauma-trained therapist and a normal psychotherapist? How do I know if I have trauma? Can trauma ever be healed? Read on for answers to these questions and more!
What is trauma?
Acute trauma happens when a single, alarming event occurs unexpectedly. This could be something like a sudden car crash, a severe natural disaster like a hurricane, or an intense and harmful conflict takes place. Because it happens all at once, it can cause immediate feelings of shock, fear, or overwhelming stress. Even though acute trauma stems from a one-time or short-term event, it can take time for your mind and body to process what happened and begin feeling safe again.
Chronic trauma develops when harmful, distressing, or scary situations happen repeatedly over a long period of time. Rather than a single sudden event, complex trauma builds up from ongoing experiences where a person repeatedly feels unsafe, mistreated, neglected, or hurt. Because these difficult experiences happen over and over—often during childhood or within close relationships—they can deeply impact how a person feels about themselves, making it harder to feel secure, trust others, or build self-confidence.
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Not every person will be traumatized by the same things. What one person experiences as "not that big a deal" may be perceived as "the worst thing ever" to another person. The main factors in determining whether someone will experience an event as traumatic, are their feeling of helplessness, of being alone in the pain, and of feeling stuck in the experience. If no one was there for you to process what happened to you, you may be dealing with unresolved trauma or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
The Traumatized Brain & Body
The chemistry of a brain experiencing trauma sustains high levels of cortisol (the stress hormone), which leads to structural changes. The part of the brain (frontal lobe) responsible for reasoning, logic, clear thinking and decision making becomes less active and less accessible. The part of the brain focused on protection and danger (amygdala) is more easily activated and often remains engaged. Memory, focus, and executive functioning become less efficient, as the brain is focused on scanning for perceived threats.
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The nervous system of a traumatized body will remain in a state of survival (flight, fight, freeze, fawn), unable to relax. Symptoms include both body/somatic reactions and mental/emotional reactions, as well as shifts in overall health and wellbeing.
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Symptoms can include:
Hypervigilance, Sleep Disturbances, Digestive Issues, Autoimmune Dysfunction, Flashbacks, Foggy memories, Disconnection from your body or feeling like you are outside of yourself, Avoiding places or things that remind you of an incident, Increased distrust in other people, Poor self perception and distorted beliefs, Exaggerated startle response, Suppressing unwanted thoughts, Emotional numbing.​​
Can trauma be healed?
Yes!​
You do not have to live with the impacts of trauma for the rest of your life. In fact, there are time-tested, research-proven, evidence-based therapies that help the brain process trauma in a healthy way, so it can return to the present reality. Similar to how a physical injury can heal, emotional, mental, and relational trauma can heal with the right tools and in a caring environment.
Trauma-Trained
Licensed Counselors and Therapists meet a specific standard of education and experience, however not all are trauma-trained. Going through talk-therapy with a general therapist is like having your Primary Doctor perform gallbladder surgery. The Doc knows about the general anatomy of your body, but has not had specific training and practice in opening a human body and removing the organ. A therapist/counselor who is trauma-trained has funneled extra time, money, and energy into learning specifically about trauma and how to take a client through the process of healing that trauma.
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Some of the best modalities for trauma therapy are listed below:
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Emotionally Focused Therapy - Individual & Couples (EFT/EFCT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Narrative Therapy
Story Informed Trauma Therapy (SITT)
Somatic Therapy
Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI)
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Trauma-Wise at Restoration
We, at Restoration Counseling, are proud to provide the very best professional trauma care. All of our therapists have extensive trauma trainings and certifications in at least one of the above modalities. Our therapists are prepared to journey with individuals and couples experiencing the effects of trauma, with dignity, compassion, and a wise application of trauma-informed expertise.