Trauma Therapy in Onalaska, WI
What is trauma?
Stress, anxiety, and trauma are all intertwined. At its source is something that has affected us negatively or hurt us. Words, accidents, violence, or neglect. Not many of us get through life unscathed. Some things big, others seem smaller but affect us nonetheless.
The thing is, we usually would like to avoid thinking of those things let alone talk about them out loud. Sometimes that works. For a while. It’s like holding a beach ball under water. It takes a lot of work to keep it down, and when you least expect it shoots to the surface.
Maybe you are sick of how old stuff still affects you and you would like to take control it instead of it controlling you. Or, you are experiencing stability and support, things are going well and your brain is trying to get your attention, telling you that the time is right and you are now ready to work on it. That’s how you know it’s time. Time to start trusting yourself to look at it within the context of your whole life instead of avoiding it. Take back your power.
Common signs of trauma:
Intruding memories, nightmares or flashbacks
Heavy mood and difficulty feeling happy or loving emotions
Avoidance of situations which cause you distress or bring up those memories
Hyper-vigilance
Trouble sleeping, concentrating, and negative thoughts
Feeling on edge, angry outbursts, or guilt
Distancing from yourself, or checking out more than normal day-dreaming
Use of alcohol or substances to numb out
Exaggerated startle responses
How can Trauma Counseling help?
Most people are not eager to dive into therapy for trauma. What motivates most of us is the desire to feel better and gain control over what was most likely an out of control event.
There are different treatment approaches. For some, just talking about it will help. We like to use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) because the results are faster with less need to walk through painful memories over and over and over again. In fact, EMDR can be helpful even if you don’t want to share some things with your therapist. Yes, it may suck while you do it, but you can expect some relief pretty quickly. You will feel a decreased amount of distress when you think of the event and less need to avoid things.
Treatment for trauma involves identifying how it is currently affecting your life, the root cause, and how it has changed the way you think about yourself. We then work together to make a plan and check in with you all along the way. You are in control. We are your guide, to keep you safe, show you the way, and stay on track so you can reach your goals. We are there for you every step of the way.
