Atlanta Trauma Therapist
It is time. Time to confront the pain and fear that is rooted in your memories. Time to face your past and find the peace and freedom you deserve. This is possible if you are ready. Since you’re here, you probably are.
You are ready to stop feeling guilty, angry, and ashamed. Anxious, overwhelmed, numb, confused. You are tired of fearing the intrusive thoughts and feelings that regularly interfere in your life. As a certified Atlanta trauma therapist, I am ready to help you get to the root of your trauma symptoms, so you can focus on the things that matter most to you.
Once upon a time a different you existed. You were a successful person with prospects and a flourishing career. You felt like you were in control. You had a social life and were not afraid to go about exploring Atlanta, confident that could handle any situation. All the while, though, something was lurking beneath the surface. Baggage. Pain. Trauma from your past.
Every time that you’ve attempted to face that trauma, it did not go well. The thriving and in-control you disappeared. You felt like you could not trust yourself. As time has passed, things have only gotten worse. The horrors you experienced have returned to haunt you. They’ve slowly eroded your confidence. You are no longer you. At least, it feels that way.
Life has become a daily struggle. You keep reliving what happened to you, and it triggers unpleasant feelings and symptoms. Just the thought of showing up for work gets you nervous and panicky. You are tired of living this way and being a victim. You want to trust yourself. You want to feel in control again. You want the old you back, only this time without the baggage.
If this sounds like you and what you’ve been thinking and experiencing, then know that there is hope. You are a trauma survivor, but you don’t have to keep feeling like a victim. With the right trauma therapy and counseling by a trained professional, you can overcome the trauma that’s been tormenting your mind and live a normal life.
ATLANTA TRAUMA THERAPY FOR ADULTS
About me
I’m an expert in trauma therapy for adults, that is relational trauma recovery that specifically supports adult children of the mood- and personality-disordered to help them effectively heal and move forward from traumatic pasts towards empowerment, no matter where they started from.
My training includes Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Somatic Experiencing, and more. I am committed to providing a safe, caring, and non-judgmental therapeutic environment in which we work together, at your pace, to help you achieve your goals for healing.
How I Can Help You
A trauma therapist can assist in various ways. One of those ways is figuring out how trauma has shaped a person’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. A trauma-informed counseling approach is multi-faceted and targets the whole person. Sometimes, our bodies will hold on to traumatic memories. Somatic therapy approaches help with hypervigilance, numbing, and other bodily sensations, while somatic trauma therapy techniques like mindfulness and yoga can aid in the treatment of trauma.
Trauma in a person’s life may result from a single incident. However, it can also be multi-layered and complex. Complex trauma is protracted rather than isolated, meaning that it happens more than once and typically over a period of time, making it cumulative. For example, complex relational trauma does not have to end in childhood; there can be the same or different perpetrators, such as going from having your father be the abuser to having a string of abusive relationships with men. Complex relational trauma is, essentially, anything that undermines, demeans, or erodes the dignity, safety, and well-being of the individual who goes through it. It can also include personal experiences with caregivers or guardians that are fundamentally chaotic, unstable, unsafe, inconsistent, unpredictable, and overwhelming in some way.
Complex trauma is also interchangeable with terms like complex PTSD, developmental trauma, interpersonal trauma, and relational trauma. Often, complex trauma develops in the formative years as a result of dysfunctional family relationships. Complex relational trauma is interpersonal in nature and happens in the context of close attachment relationships, usually when there is an imbalance of power. Because of this “relational” trauma, you may struggle to find a sense of safety and trust throughout your life, and thus, it may be difficult to regulate emotions, especially in relationships.
THE BENEFITS OF TRAUMA THERAPY
Trauma therapy for adults can be a powerful tool for individuals who have experienced trauma in their lives, particularly complex trauma. These are just some of the potential benefits of trauma therapy:
Reduce symptoms of trauma
Trauma therapy can go a long way in relieving the physical symptoms of trauma, such as flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, dizziness, nausea, and hyperarousal.
Regulate emotions better
Traumas can cause you to feel overwhelmed and unable to regulate emotions. With therapy, individuals can develop healthy coping mechanisms and improve emotional regulation.
Enhance self-awareness
You can gain a deeper understanding of yourself and your personal experiences. This increased self-awareness can lead to greater self-esteem, self-acceptance, and self-compassion.
Strengthen relationships
It can be difficult to form and maintain healthy relationships with trauma. Trauma therapy can help individuals develop the skills and tools necessary to build and strengthen relationships.
Therapy and counselling for trauma can look different for everyone, and it may take time to find the right approach that works for you. However, with the right therapist and therapeutical approach, trauma therapy can be lifechanging.
WHY IS TRAUMA THERAPY SO HARD?
While trauma therapy can be lifechanging and promote healing and growth, it can be challenging for adults living with traumas from their past. This is the case for a number of reasons, including but not limited to the following.
- Revisiting traumatic memories – Trauma therapy for adults often involves revisiting and processing traumatic experiences, which can be extremely distressing and overwhelming for the individual. These memories can be stored in the brain in a disorganized and fragmented way, making them hard to access and process.
- Fear of re-traumatization – People who have experienced trauma in some way may be afraid that talking about their experiences with another person will trigger a new trauma response. This fear can make it difficult for an individual to fully engage in trauma therapy and may cause them to avoid certain topics or experiences.
- Lack of trust – Survivors and victims of trauma can have trust issues. They may struggle to place their trust in others due to their traumatic life experiences. This can make it challenging for them to form a beneficial professional relationship with their therapist, which is crucial for success in trauma therapy and counseling.
- Shame and self-blame – Trauma survivors may feel ashamed or blame themselves for what happened to them even when it is obvious that that is not the case. This can make it difficult for them to open up to a trauma therapist about their personal experiences and sometimes cause them to avoid therapy altogether.
- Coping mechanisms – Individuals with trauma in their lives will often have coping mechanisms that have helped them to survive their traumatic experiences, however these mechanisms may not be helpful in the long term. Letting go of these ‘crutches’ can be difficult and may require time and patience.
- Complex trauma – Some people may have experienced complex trauma, which involves prolonged and repeated exposure to traumatic experiences. This can make trauma therapy for adults more challenging, as the person may have a range of symptoms and require a more intensive and specialized form of therapy.
Despite the abovementioned challenges, trauma therapy can be incredibly beneficial for individuals who have experienced trauma and are struggling to deal with it. With the help of a skilled therapist and a support network, trauma survivors can learn to process their trauma and develop safe coping strategies to move forward in their lives.
HOW DOES TRAUMA THERAPY WORK?
Trauma therapy works by helping individuals with trauma in their past mentally process and overcome the negative effects of those traumatic experiences. As mentioned, this can look different depending on the client and their circumstances, and there are various approaches and techniques that can be used in trauma therapy for adults.
Common techniques used to assist victims of trauma include cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and alternative therapies. By identifying and challenging negative thoughts and beliefs, teaching coping skills, and encouraging clients to gradually confront their traumatic memories in a safe and controlled manner and space, trauma therapy experts are able to work towards improving the lives of clients.
So how does trauma therapy work? Well, the goal with therapy is to help the individual process and integrate the traumatic experience into your life using appropriate trauma therapy techniques known to be safe and effective. This is done in a way that allows you, the trauma victim and survivor, to progress and improve your physical and mental wellbeing.
TRAUMA THERAPY TECHNIQUES AVAILABLE
There are many numerous trauma therapy techniques that can be used by trauma therapists to help individuals heal from their traumatic life experiences. These are some of the most common ones that are used:
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
This is a form of talk therapy that focuses on altering negative thought patterns and behaviors related to mental trauma for the better. It encourages people to identify and challenge negative beliefs and develop coping strategies to deal with trauma-related symptoms.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT is a modified cognitive-behavioral therapy. The talk therapy concentrates on developing skills to manage stress and emotions and improve relationships. It is often used to treat people struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health conditions.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR):
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is a trauma therapy technique that involves using bilateral eye movements to assist with the processing of traumatic memories. Trauma therapy EMDR essentially works by activating the brain’s natural healing processes.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is a type of psychotherapy that aims to enable and facilitate the acceptance of difficult thoughts and feelings, rather than trying to eliminate or control them. It emphasizes the importance of being present in the moment and focusing on personal values to guide behaviors.
Somatic Experiencing (SE)
This technique is a body-oriented psychotherapy that addresses the physical sensations associated with trauma. It helps people release energy trapped in the form of physical and emotional tension, relieving pain, anxiety, and depression, and developing a greater sense of control over the body.
Psychodynamic Therapy
One of the trauma therapy techniques that involves communicating through speech to explore how past experiences and unconscious thoughts and feelings affect current behavior. Based on the theories and principles of Sigmund Freud, it provides insights into the root causes of trauma-related symptoms.
Narrative Therapy
Narrative Therapy involves telling and retelling the story of a traumatic experience to gain a new perspective on it. The trauma therapy encourages re-authoring of trauma in ways that promote healing, growth, and empowerment, reframing the experience to see yourself as a survivor rather than a victim.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
This therapy combines elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness practices. The main goal with MBCT is to develop a different relationship with one’s thoughts and emotions, to prevent you from getting caught up in negative thought patterns that can be harmful.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
Internal Family Systems is based on the idea that the mind is made up of different parts or sub-personalities, each with their own unique beliefs, emotions, and behaviors. Through IFS, clients learn to identify and understand the positive intentions of each part and work with them to achieve balance.
It’s important to remember that different therapies may be more or less effective depending on your unique experiences and needs. Having a good trauma therapy specialist, though – someone who has looked into how to become a certified trauma therapist and received the proper certification and training – can make a huge difference.
More About Me
My training includes Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Internal Family Systems, somatic experiencing and more. I am committed to providing a safe, caring, non-judgmental therapeutic environment in which we work together, at your pace, to help you achieve your goals for healing.
OUR TRAUMA THERAPY COUNSELLING PROCESS
Atlanta Trauma Therapist has a convenient trauma therapy counselling process in place that is designed to help you face the memories of past traumas while developing skills to keep them from having a negative impact on your life.
In collaboration with you, I work to reduce irritability, anxiety, and any pain you may be dealing with, as well as depression and isolation, improving your ability to connect with people close to you and relate to them for social wellbeing. We explore ways for you to regain ownership of your life on the therapeutic journey, making it possible for you to complete daily tasks without feeling the emotional and physical weight of the trauma or traumas endured in your past.
We meet for productive trauma therapy sessions lasting 50 minutes on a weekly basis. There is no set duration for the trauma counseling, and how many sessions are required depends on the needs of the client. During sessions, we work together to treat the trauma that is holding you back in life using evidenced-based approaches and techniques.
Week 1: Reception
The first session is an introductory one, in which the trauma therapy counseling relationship is defined and we discuss the particulars of informed consent. During the session, I get to know you by asking questions and gathering information about your social, psychological, and biological history. A therapy plan is formulated based on your situation and goals.
Weeks 2 Onwards: Trauma Therapy for Adults and Trauma Counseling
In subsequent sessions with ATT, we work towards your healing and wellness using advanced trauma therapy techniques like trauma therapy EMDR that appropriately address your trauma-based struggles. As we progress through therapy, your reactions and experiences are continuously assessed. We look at your family relationships, social life, work experiences, and more, making adjustments according to your response to the treatments provided.
Final Sessions: Termination
As your planned therapy sessions come to end, I check that you are satisfied with the trauma therapy and counseling you received and that our work with you has met expectations. In order to ensure that you are able to recall everything learned in therapy and will apply it long term, I also put together a plan for your success post-therapy.
Note: Trauma therapy for adults can be approached at a level and pace that feels comfortable for you. Should you wish to start with light therapy and work through counseling more slowly, for example, we are able to accommodate you with a variety of trauma interventions. Light talk therapy is a good option for those not ready to dive into their trauma.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Though it may not feel like it right now, it is possible to live a productive and happy life free from trauma symptoms if you invest in yourself. No more second-guessing. No more doubting yourself. If your trauma therapy is successful, no more having to deal with the guilt, shame, fear, and other unpleasantries from your traumatic life experiences. As a bonus, confronting your trauma and taking back your power will make you feel a sense of pride and satisfaction.
Face your memories and reclaim your life and identity. If you can manage to find the strength to do so, then you will stop seeing yourself as damaged or broken and be able to connect more easily and deeply with colleagues, friends, and the people you love. You’ll be able to move beyond your past and achieve happiness and fulfilment.
To schedule a trauma therapy session with Terri Duda, Atlanta Trauma Therapist, and become the you that you were destined to be call 404-444-8792.
