Trauma Counselling

"Trauma is not jut an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body” - Bessel van der Kolk (The Body Keeps the Score).

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It can be clear to us when we are experiencing trauma - like when we experienced a car accident and are later afraid to drive or we can't seem to rest in the safety of relationships after our parents divorce - but trauma can also occur when we don't understand why. Trauma can present as panic attacks, sleepless nights or being overwhelmed for (what feels like) no apparent reason. It can also feel numb, like moving through basic tasks with a cloud muffling everything. It reveals itself in patterns that we can’t seem to shake, habits we hate or a relationship with ourselves that we would not dare share out loud; because we wouldn’t talk to anyone else the way we speak to ourselves. 

When we experience something traumatic we are forced to change to accommodate the threat. This is an adaptive response. Our bodies (without our permission) implicitly find a way to keep us alive and get us through the moment (or weeks or years). When this happens we get stuck in the lower, survival, part of the brain. Sometimes these adaptive maneuvers gets stuck and we keep on keepin'on. However, our filter is now changed by what happened and the way we had to cope to get through becomes irrational, rigid or unhelpful to our current circumstances. This filter forms our beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world. These beliefs can be so subtle we might not even notice (my voice is not welcome here) or the beliefs can be bold and yell at us sometimes (What is wrong with me! ... RUN! ... nobody is trustworthy...).

Sometimes trauma is passed down through our family. This is called generational trauma. Our parents' experiences impact how they moved through the world. Their beliefs and ability to be present for you when you were a child is a direct result of their own experiences. When parents have carried unresolved trauma the impacts are passed down to their children. 

With support, we can heal from trauma. We don't need to live in the patterns and automatic coping responses that were imprinted at the time of our hardest moments. We can choose to be the ones that stop passing down the family trauma to our children. With the support of a trauma therapist you can rebuild attachment wounds, reintegrate the brain and change old ways of coping. If you find yourself wanting to heal from trauma we would love to join with you on your journey.

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