Trauma Therapy

Is Trauma Keeping You From Living The Life You Want?

Are you a survivor of an accident, attack, or instance of abuse?

Has your profession exposed you to disturbing or life-threatening situations that have compromised your sense of safety?

Do you feel like you are stuck inside of an experience you are trying to forget?

You may be struggling with the residual effects of constantly feeling under threat. Maybe you’re always hypervigilant and anxious, often thinking in terms of the worst-case-scenario. Regularly waiting for the next bad thing to happen, you probably feel exhausted and depleted of your energy. And though you’re physically tired, you might have a hard time slowing your thoughts or turning them away from uncomfortable memories so that you can truly relax.

You May Have Developed An Ongoing Fight, Flight, Freeze, Or Fawn Response

When the mind becomes acutely fearful or senses a threat, the body enters what’s known as fight, flight, freeze, or fawn. The nervous system becomes activated, releasing hormones that ignite survival instincts and create different reactions based on the situation and who’s experiencing the trauma.

Fight is an aggressive response that faces the threat head-on; flight is the urge to escape the danger; freeze describes the inability to act against a threat; and fawn is an attempt to please the threatening entity itself in order to avoid conflict.

These responses are necessary when your life is in danger, as they will allow you to quickly make decisions and seek protection in the safest way possible. But a single traumatic event can be stored in the body for months or years after the experience. This means you are likely to repeat the trauma cycle anytime you feel threatened, reverting to the same feelings of fear and hypervigilance you felt during the original incident.

This continuation of a trauma response naturally makes you feel tired, agitated, and uncomfortable. You may struggle with physical symptoms like muscle tension, digestive issues, and chronic pain. Or perhaps you’ve noticed setbacks in your mental and emotional health—including anxiety, depression, confusion, disassociation, and substance abuse. And you may have encountered challenges in your relationships, resulting in a lack of trust and security in those around you.

Fortunately, therapy offers you an opportunity to understand and heal your trauma on a deep level. With the help of our trauma-informed counselors at The Next Step, you can escape the cycle of fear that’s holding you back.

All Of Us Encounter Some Degree Of Trauma In Our Lives

Trauma comes in many forms and affects people in a variety of ways. We’re all aware of significant, catastrophic traumas—what’s known as “Big T” traumas—that can change our lives in an instant. War, natural disasters, violent crimes, a sudden death, and major injuries are often what we think of when we hear the word “trauma.” And many times, we associate these experiences with military personnel, first responders, and healthcare professionals. However, these aren’t the only populations subjected to traumatic experiences and PTSD.

Arguably, “little t” trauma is a more common phenomenon. Ongoing situations that trigger fear, distress, and helplessness in those who experience them—even if their lives are not abjectly in danger—have the potential to traumatize. Examples of “little t” traumas can include physical, sexual, emotional, or mental abuse and any kind of child abuse and neglect. For those who were raised by emotionally abusive parents or in a verbally abusive relationship, there is a high chance that they internalized trauma over a long period of time, making their healing process a little more complicated.

Our therapists are aware of the long-term effects of trauma, from clients who are exposed to life-threatening situations at their jobs to those dealing with the fallout of child abuse. We understand the impact that trauma has on peoples’ lives and take great care not to re-traumatize our clients in treatment.

Therapy Can Help You Heal From Trauma And Symptoms Of PTSD

When living with residual trauma, survival mode is often the normal experience you have on a daily basis. But at The Next Step, our counselors don’t want you to just survive—we want you to thrive. By committing to counseling with our trauma-informed therapists, you can process your trauma, reduce symptoms of PTSD, and live more fully.

The Therapeutic Process

After completing intake paperwork, you will meet with your therapist to discuss presenting concerns, trauma history, and goals for treatment. We will never push you too far too quickly, so the discussion will move at your pace, and we will provide you with tools for coping so that you can manage distress as it arises.

Once we have collaborated on a treatment plan, we will use evidence-based counseling techniques to help you process the trauma and navigate your healing journey. We are client-driven and solution-oriented in our approach, so trauma treatment will be individualized to target your specific concerns.

Body-based methods like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Somatic Therapy approaches address the connection between the mind and physical body.

In addition, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) allows you to understand the relationship between triggers, thoughts, and emotions—while Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can help you with distress tolerance as it pertains to recalling your trauma.

We know that you may feel stuck in a cycle of grief, anxiety, and self-doubt as a result of your trauma, but counseling can make a meaningful difference. At The Next Step, we will walk beside you in therapy as you process trauma and heal.

Maybe You’re Experiencing Symptoms Of PTSD But Don’t Know If Therapeutic Treatment Is Right For You…

It’s very common for people to minimize their trauma or assume that others have it worse than they do. But if you’re struggling—no matter how insignificant you think your trauma is—you deserve to feel better.
At The Next Step, no trauma is too big or too small. We’re committed to finding you effective, lasting, and customized solutions so that you can achieve the life you want.
We understand that the memory of your trauma might cause you to feel uncomfortable and distressed, which is why we are very careful not to re-traumatize our clients in treatment. Therapy is individualized to move at your pace and address your goals, so we will never push you to discuss something that you’re not ready to disclose.
Our approach to treatment is often a blend of interventions that can be very useful in symptom reduction. Once your therapist has helped you establish effective coping skills and strategies using these counseling methods, you may find that you’re able to think about and discuss your trauma more readily—ultimately freeing yourself from the harmful cycle it has created.
Therapy is an investment in your mental health and well-being. If you’re suffering from the lingering effects of trauma and PTSD, you deserve the opportunity of therapy to aid in your healing.
We offer telehealth appointments for clients who have scheduling constraints. And if cost is a concern, keep in mind that we accept Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Cigna/Evernorth. We’re also happy to provide superbills for reimbursement if you’re out of network.

Achieve The Peaceful, Healed Life You Want

If you are a survivor of an attack or accident, struggling with trauma exposure at your job, or dealing with the long-term effects of child abuse, therapy at The Next Step can help you heal and reduce symptoms of PTSD.

To learn more about our services, schedule a free, 15-minute consultation by filling out our contact form or calling (480) 702 – 1605.

Start Today