Trauma can be described as our brain, body, and nervous system’s response to difficult, distressing or life-altering experiences that have jeopardized our sense of physical and/or emotional safety.

“We have learned that trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body.”

Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score

When something significant and distressing happens to us, our brains can have a difficult time appropriately storing and processing that experience. This means we may respond in unexpected, inaccurate, or unhelpful ways in the present, based on what has occurred in the past. We can have this type of response in connection with one single distressing event, or with multiple distressing events or experiences over time. 

So what might this look like?

Here are some examples of trauma responses. These are some ways we might feel or think if we have been exposed to something (or multiple things) that challenge our sense of safety:

Maybe you’ve noticed some of these feelings or reactions in yourself. If so, you may or may not know why you’re experiencing them. Or, perhaps there are a variety of factors contributing to these feelings or reactions. Whatever your experience, part of our work will be piecing it all together.

Experiencing something intensely distressing that threatens our sense of physical and/or emotional safety can be overwhelming to our minds, bodies, and nervous systems. When this occurs, we can make conscious or unconscious efforts to forget, push forward, or deny the impact that these experiences may carry, but the body struggles to forget. We may begin to notice that some of the trauma reactions listed above are activated seemingly at random, or in response to both big or small cues. These trauma reactions can be overwhelming, confusing, and distressing, and often persist well past the actual date and/or dates of the experience(s).

These facts alone can feel pretty daunting, but it does not have to be permanent and none of this defines you.

“We can now develop methods and experiences that utilize the brain’s own natural neuroplasticity to help survivors feel fully alive in the present and move on with their lives.”

Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score

Should you invite me into your work, I will partner with you to support and identify ways you can care for yourself, your feelings, and reactions. We’ll begin to find ways to enhance your sense of emotional and physical safety, while encouraging you to find growth and empowerment. We’ll reinforce your body and brain’s natural tendency towards healing — whatever form that may take.

Working with a Trauma Therapist: What to Expect

While deciding to start trauma therapy can feel overwhelming and scary, you’ve got this. Our work together will be informed by you, and you are always in control of the information you share, and at what pace. I respect the boundaries my clients set, and will never pressure you to go beyond where you feel your capacity is.

I believe you’re capable of finding empowerment, growth, and presence.

When my clients begin to make the connection between how their past experiences are affecting their current feelings and reactions, they begin to feel relief. When we pair these insights with realistic and doable skills to help them with intense emotions in the moment, they begin to feel more in control.

EMDR for Trauma

Many of my clients utilize Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy to address trauma reactions, and as they move through this process they notice that distressing images, experiences, or memories that previously held a lot of power and emotional charge feel less powerful. They start to move towards more accurate and positive beliefs about themselves, and find themselves more at ease in the present. Visit the EMDR page for more information. 

Contact me with questions or to get started.

Trauma Counseling in Cincinnati and Across Ohio

Clarity Together Counseling offers trauma therapy using EMDR therapy and other therapy approaches in Cincinnati and across the state of Ohio via a secure telehealth platform.