How the Body Responds to Trauma

When we experience something stressful, our body reacts through a “stress response.” This is an automatic unconscious process that causes our prefrontal cortex (the rational, thinking part of our brain) to shut down. The stress response instead activates our limbic system, which is the reptilian part of our brain that responds out of instinct. Adrenaline and cortisol are the major stress hormones and these are released in this process. Our bodies then experience “fight, flight, or freeze” responses, which can include increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, shallow breathing, muscle tenseness, and even rage. Again, this response is unconscious and based out of survival instinct to protect yourself from the perceived threat.

A traumatic stressor can be anything that is experienced “too fast, too much, or too little for too long.” To the nervous system, perception is reality. There is no objective standard for what “should” be traumatizing. Since the stress response isn’t a conscious process, we can’t control whether or not we’re traumatized. So if our bodies get stuck in the stress response cycle, we are experiencing a trauma response. Trauma is then stored in our unconscious memory and our bodies experience a constant activated state of fight, flight, or freeze. When we perceive a threat, this trauma response is activated as a survival mechanism to keep us safe. 

Could Trauma-Informed Counseling Be Helpful for Me?

Trauma can exist in many different forms. Trauma can be acute, like a vehicle accident, or chronic, like ongoing domestic violence or abuse. Trauma can repeat and compile over time, or can arise through current events, like the COVID-19 pandemic or sociopolitical unrest. Any experience that prompts significant emotional distress, feelings of helplessness, and difficulty coping can bring up symptoms of trauma.

Whether you have a recent traumatic experience, childhood trauma, or trauma symptoms due to current events, trauma-informed counseling can be beneficial. This therapeutic approach facilitates safe exploration of your feelings and helps you build positive coping strategies and confidence to recover from pain and suffering. If you are feeling significantly affected by a past traumatic event, a recent stressor, or are experiencing sleep issues, anxiety, or difficulty managing your emotions, you could benefit from trauma-informed counseling.

What Does Trauma-Informed Counseling Look Like?

One of the most important features of trauma-informed counseling is the creation of a safe space so that your body and brain can build the strength to exit the cycle of trauma response. The development of a consistent, genuine, and empathic relationship with your therapist can be extremely therapeutic itself. A trauma-informed therapist can help you develop coping strategies and grounding techniques to manage painful emotions and thoughts. Over time, you will become more comfortable using these coping strategies and develop more confidence in your ability to regulate your emotions when a trauma response is activated. For example, a trauma-informed therapist can encourage you to “take your emotional temperature” during sessions when processing difficult topics. This allows you to more effectively regulate your emotions by enhancing your mindfulness of your body going into a stress response and putting on the brakes before feeling emotionally flooded.

In my approach to trauma-informed counseling, I utilize Judith Herman’s tri-phasic model as a guiding structure for treatment. The goal of the first phase of treatment is establishing safety and stabilization. I provide clients with psychoeducation about trauma and how it affects the body and brain. This allows clients to better understand the symptoms they are experiencing and reduce self-blame and perceived helplessness. I encourage clients to lean on sources of support and strength in their lives, and, if possible, develop boundaries or safety measures when necessary to pursue stabilization and physical safety. I prioritize building a safe and trusting therapeutic relationship with clients during this stage - if you don’t feel comfortable with your therapist you probably won’t feel comfortable opening up about your trauma!

Also during the first stage of treatment, I incorporate ACT and CBT techniques within sessions to help clients engage in “cognitive override.” This concept refers to our ability to use the rational, thinking part of our brain to step in and help manage our thoughts and feelings. Remember that when you’re in the midst of a trauma experience, this part of our brain often doesn’t have the capacity to help. However, when we are mindfully treating our trauma, we have the benefit of utilizing this part of our brain since we’re in control. We have the ability to shift our self-talk from maladaptive, unhelpful, and shaming thoughts to instead noticing our bodies and labeling ourselves as “experiencing a trauma response.” We can use cognitive override to move away from the narrative of “I’m crazy” to the more accurate narrative of “this makes sense why I’m experiencing this.” And we can teach our bodies to feel safer through learning how to regulate our emotions and affect through positive coping mechanisms.

Many clients find enough relief from their symptoms of trauma through the first stage of treatment that there is not a need to verbally process their traumatic experiences within the therapy space. However, the mindful and graduated processing of trauma can occur next if the client desires. This is a very intentional process guided by the client but with the therapist’s assistance to remain grounded and effective. This stage is characterized by remembrance and mourning, so I tend to encourage clients to adopt an openness and acceptance for emotional response during this stage.

The last stage, which can overlap with either of the first two stages, is the reintegration and reconnection stage of trauma treatment. I utilize the metaphor of a forest fire with clients to depict this stage. Like a forest fire, trauma can devastate our lives and burn everything in its path. It can knock us down and take away things that are dear to us. It may render everything to ashes around us. However, after a forest fire, new growth occurs. In nature, this looks like new plants growing through the soot, saplings beginning to take root amidst burned wood, and a new ecosystem develops. Although the forest fire has devastated the area, growth and rebirth will happen. A new lush forest will grow in the place of the old, just like you can find meaning, fulfillment, and contentment in life after trauma.

Areas of Focus for Trauma Treatment

Sexual Assault Recovery

I help survivors of sexual assault, sexual trauma, and rape heal through trauma-informed talk therapy. I create a nonjudgmental and safe space for these clients to process these experiences in a way that will move them forward rather than keeping them feeling stuck and helpless. If you have experienced sexual assault, you probably feel powerless and out of control. To facilitate effective trauma recovery, I believe it is vital to help clients process traumatic experiences at their own pace. I adopt a patient and compassion-focused therapeutic approach to allow the survivor to maintain control over their therapeutic work. I act as a supportive guide through this process, to help you open up to scary feelings and memories while remaining grounded. You don’t have to recover from this alone.

Childhood Trauma & Abuse

Did you experience negative or traumatic experiences in childhood? Research shows that up to 48% of all youth have experienced victimization or trauma.¹ When you are a child, your brain is actively forming and you don’t have the life experience or skills to process trauma fully. As an adult, you have the power to process these experiences with perspective, which can prompt healing. Through trauma-informed counseling, I frequently help adult clients connect negative childhood experiences to current patterns in their lives. It can be an empowering process to learn how your beliefs may be impacted by your past, and to rewrite the narrative of who you are and what you stand for. If you try to push down the feelings associated with adverse childhood experiences, they may resurface when you encounter present struggles. You don’t want your life to be dictated by negative things that happened to you in the past. I can help you develop a healthy balance of analyzing your childhood experiences and adopting agency in your life presently.

¹Saunders, Benjamin E, and Zachary W Adams. “Epidemiology of traumatic experiences in childhood.” Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America vol. 23,2 (2014): 167-84, vii. doi:10.1016/j.chc.2013.12.003

Religious Trauma

Religious trauma not only inflicts harm on your mind and body, but also on your spirituality and faith. If you have experienced religious trauma, you might be feeling lost, guilty, scared, and uncertain. You may have felt shame from rigid belief systems or discriminated against for your sexual or gender identity. Whether you have experienced a stressful religious event, ongoing trauma within a religious group, or sexual abuse at the hands of religious leaders, you deserve support. Through therapy, I can help you heal from your experiences, both psychologically and spiritually. I adopt a nonjudgmental, compassionate, and client-directed approach to help clients recover from religious trauma.