Does something in your life feel “off,” but you don’t know why? Do you ever wonder if it’s because of trauma? Maybe there is deep emotional pain in your past, but you’re unsure if it counts as traumatic. Perhaps you want to seek help, but each time the idea presents itself, you tell yourself that your experience “wasn’t that bad” or that “other people “have it worse.”
We've been there - we get it. And we can help you get out of it.
Trauma is more common than people realize. We often find that the question is not “Have you experienced trauma?” but “How much trauma have you experienced? What impact has it had on you?” Trauma is subjective - it’s anything that overwhelms your nervous system and ability to cope at the time.
Everyone has experienced some form of trauma. While most people readily recognize sexual assault/abuse, car accidents, or combat service as traumatizing, many other forms of trauma are not as widely recognized. Divorce, betrayal, grief and loss, an unexpected medical diagnosis, spiritual/religious abuse, growing up in poverty — all of these experiences can leave a wounding impression on your world.
The effects of trauma and PTSD can be relational, physical, sexual, and even spiritual. Deep down, you might think: Is something wrong with me? Why can’t I just feel normal and enjoy life like other people do? You might feel overly anxious and afraid to form connections with others. Perhaps past relationship wounds make it hard to trust people — you’re constantly anticipating betrayal or rejection. Maybe you’ve worked hard to overcome painful generational patterns, and you don’t trust trust that the healthy relationships you have now are going to last. You don’t feel worthy of the good things you have in life. Maybe you feel unsafe in your own body and your thoughts are dominated by painful flashbacks. Emotional and physical intimacy is difficult to enjoy because you find yourself reeling from shame, as though you did something wrong. Nightmares can make it difficult to get much-needed sleep. You might find yourself experiencing unpleasant emotions and memories around the same time each year and not know why you’re having these responses.
Sometimes, trauma isn’t one particular event that’s experienced - sometimes it’s lots of small things that compound over time and take a cumulative toll. In addition to painful experiences like abuse or neglect, there are many messages and beliefs that can have a traumatizing effect. For instance, perhaps you come from a religious environment that taught you to feel ashamed about who you are. Or maybe people always told you that self-care is selfish and made you feel guilty about satisfying your own needs. You may have grown up with parents who were emotionally unavailable — they weren’t cruel to you, but they didn’t show you much love. As a result, you may have come to believe that you’re unworthy of love.
Trauma therapy in Dublin, Ohio is a chance to invite self-care into your life and erase feelings of shame. At Sea Glass Counseling and Consultation, we’re here to remind you that trauma doesn’t define you. It’s time to shed the negative beliefs that are impacting your life and relationships and grow into a more empowered version of yourself.
Trauma is our clinical specialty at Sea Glass Counseling and Consultation. We have extensive and rigorous training in treating trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Our skilled and compassionate trauma therapists in Dublin, Ohio have experience working with survivors of sex trafficking, spiritual/religious abuse, and emotional neglect, and we are well-versed in helping people heal from other forms of trauma and abuse, too. We can help you have healthier relationships, overcome feelings of shame, and grow into the person you were meant to be.
Unfortunately, many trauma survivors don’t receive the support they need. Having a positive, healthy social support system is the #1 protective factor against trauma symptoms developing into PTSD. Our culture is rife with victim-blaming, unhelpful platitudes about suffering, and inaccurate information about what is actually needed to heal from trauma. Women, in particular, are often blamed for the actions of men. If they’re assaulted, people often ask, “What were you wearing?” or “Didn’t you flirt with him?” Because of these shaming messages, trauma survivors are often hesitant to come forward about their struggles.
Sometimes, the people you turn to for support are not helpful – they may even make it worse. Even if they don’t blame you for what happened, they may not understand how trauma reshapes your brain, impacts how you respond to situations, and affects your relationships down the road.
Pastors or church communities in particular might over-spiritualize your suffering or repeatedly bring up forgiveness (We won’t do this!). As much as people want to help, their words may further invalidate your pain. Even some counselors who don’t have adequate training in treating trauma can unintentionally cause more harm than good.
If the people in your life have downplayed what you went through, we want to make a difference. At Sea Glass Counseling and Consultation, we aren’t going to minimize your experiences. We fully believe that you are not to blame for your trauma. We want to help you resolve the pain of the past and learn to believe this too.
You might’ve
heard unhelpful statements like:
“There’s a reason for everything.”
“God doesn’t give you more than you can handle.”
“Look for a silver lining.”
“At least this didn’t happen, too.”
“Time heals all wounds.”
One of the main approaches we use in trauma and PTSD counseling is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR is effective for treating trauma because it works with a different part of the brain than talk therapy. Instead of having you discuss your trauma, EMDR uses a series of gentle stimulations to help your brain maintain dual awareness of the painful memories and present time, form new associations with painful memories.
We also draw from Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy, which is based on the idea that your personality is made up of many different parts. Because of trauma, some of these parts might be harder to love than others. For instance, if your trauma stems from a relationship where you had to please someone in order to stay safe, you may tend to people-please. You may not like this part of you, but knowing that it comes from trauma can help you be more compassionate toward yourself and learn new ways to meet your needs more effectively.
In our sessions together, we’ll teach you about how trauma impacts the brain and body and explore any protective behaviors you’ve developed in response to your trauma. For instance, maybe you tend to yell when you get into an argument with your partner. Or perhaps you feel nauseous at the thought of a family reunion or cringe when certain conversation topics come up. Together we’ll look at your responses and help you explore how they might be protective for you now — and then. There is nothing wrong with you; no one gets to choose their trauma responses. Realizing this profound truth can help you treat yourself with kindness and compassion.
RECONNECT WITH YOURSELF
Get to know your brain and body's unique trauma responses. Discover connections between your thoughts, feelings/emotions, body sensations, and behaviors. Learn to feel safe in your body again - or maybe even for the first time.
HEAL FROM THE PAST
Explore the ways you’ve learned to cope with past pain. Work towards repairing old memories so they are no longer triggering in the present. Develop compassion for yourself. Repair the harmful messages you've internalized.
RELEASE THE SHAME
Internalize positive beliefs about yourself. Redefine your boundaries. Practice good self care. Have the healthy relationships you deserve. Let yourself have hope for the future and chase your dreams.
The part of the brain that stores memories shuts off when you experience trauma. Instead of being filed away with the rest of your memories, trauma gets stored in the part of the brain that is responsible for emotions, the brain’s internal “alarm system.” When something reminds you of past trauma, your brain’s alarm system goes off and retriggers painful memories. In this way, trauma from your childhood can still affect you as an adult. It doesn’t matter how much time has passed — trauma responses are instinctive. Therapy focuses on softening your brain’s alarm system so that its effect on your life is not as overwhelming.
Comparing yourself to people who “have it worse” is a way to disconnect from your own pain. Doing so is protective — it’s your brain’s way of saying, “Don’t focus on your own trauma!” The important thing to remember is that trauma is subjective. It’s less about what happened, and more about how your brain and body internalized what happened. Even people who were mostly kind to you may have unintentionally caused trauma in your life. Perhaps your parents were loving and tried their best, but there were times when they said unkind things that affected how you see yourself. You can acknowledge that they hurt you without viewing them as villains in your story.
Many pastoral counselors are not licensed therapists. Their understanding of mental health is limited. The clinicians at Sea Glass Counseling and Consultation, are licensed with rigorous mental health training and lots of experience helping people heal from trauma and sexual abuse. What’s more, we value the inherent worth in each person — we do not shame people for their choices or blame them for their past.
Oversharing, or sharing before you’re ready, can actually be retraumatizing. We’ll honor your pace, and spend lots of time in the earlier stages of our work together helping you to learn skills to manage the distress of your trauma and focusing on various components of building, or rebuilding safety. One of the best parts of trauma therapy is that you don’t necessarily have to tell us about what happened. With EMDR therapy in Dublin, Ohio, we can help you heal without spending a lot of time talking or dwelling on the past.
No matter what you’ve been through, or negative messages you’ve been told about yourself - healing is possible.
If you’re ready to work with the best trauma therapists in Dublin, Ohio, contact us to schedule your free 15-minute phone consultation.
These well-intentioned clichés may sound comforting at first glance, but they oversimplify the complex process of healing and can invalidate the experiences of individuals struggling with trauma and PTSD.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex and debilitating mental health condition that affects millions of individuals worldwide. However, it often goes unnoticed or misdiagnosed. But how does something that is both so common and serious get overlooked so often?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a complex condition that can manifest in various ways. While many people associate PTSD with flashbacks and nightmares, there are several unexpected symptoms that often go unrecognized.
Like many other mental health conditions, depression and burnout can manifest with overlapping symptoms, which is why it’s important to connect with a licensed mental health professional to help you clarify whether your low emotional state is due to depression or burnout - and whether you’re dealing with a mental health condition, or occupational hazard that could lead to one.
You thought everything was going perfectly, but then out of nowhere, everything came crashing down. You're having a hard time believing this could be your reality.
