Traumatic stress develops when the memories of traumatic events—whether a single event or a series of events over a prolonged period of time—go unprocessed. This is never intentional; it happens through a series of mental mechanisms designed for survival. Over time, these same mechanisms seeking safety and protection can lead, paradoxically, to a life dictated by deeply-rooted fear- and shame-based beliefs about one’s self and the world.

What this might look like:

• Needing to have control over your space or immediate environment.

• Isolating yourself from other people and activities.

• Having a “short fuse,” getting angry or upset when things don’t go as planned.

• Missing “red flags” when dating, leading to a pattern of abusive relationships.

• Feeling agitated and overwhelmed, sometimes to a debilitating level, when facing difficult challenges.

• A pattern of sabotaging yourself when you achieve, or are on the brink of achieving, one of your goals.

• Developing deep intimate friendships quickly, only to have them fall apart soon after.

• Experiencing a sense of revulsion or fear when achieving a certain level of closeness in relationships.

A multi-faceted approach to trauma therapy.

The therapeutic modality I use with each client—usually a combination of several—is decided based on the nature of the trauma, a person’s specific issues related to it, and what the client finds most useful (see below for a list). Regardless of which practice we decide on, I use an “inside-outside” approach. We address how the trauma is currently manifesting (the outside) while identifying and addressing what is driving the behavior (the inside).

Some of the objectives we strive to achieve:

• Disentangling beliefs about who the client is from the trauma they’ve experienced.

• Developing an ability to feel emotions related to the trauma without throwing off the entire day.

• Engaging in healthy, fulfilling relationships with others, even if negative emotions or narratives related to trauma emerge.

• Developing space within that can accommodate a sense of safety alongside painful traumatic memories.

List of therapeutic modalities used in combination:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

• Cognitive Processing Therapy

• Psychodynamic Therapy

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (used in conjunction with processing models)

• Narrative Therapy

• Functional Analytic Psychotherapy