Your past is just one part of you.
Counseling for Trauma
You’ve really been through it. The thoughts, the feelings, the nightmares - it’s all getting to be too much. You’re noticing that the effects of your past are bleeding through to the present. You’re not able to have the relationships you want. Little things that feel like they shouldn’t matter push you over the edge. You can’t seem to keep your eye on what matters, because it keeps drifting back to your trauma.
You might have seen some positive changes in life - a good partner, a better job, a supportive friend group - but you’re worried that your past is going to tear it all down. That you’re going to mess it up - you’re just waiting for that other shoe to drop. You can’t really enjoy what you’ve accomplished, because you know that eventually, something will come along and take it all away.
Our approach to therapy for trauma
You need to know: there’s nothing wrong with you, and you don’t need to “just get over it” or “be stronger.”
Our society has some spectacularly awful opinions about trauma - that it’s uncommon, that people who struggle to heal from trauma are “weak”, and of course that you “shouldn’t need therapy”. That’s just wrong - plain wrong! 70% of adults in the United States have experienced some form of trauma in their lives. The majority of us. Seriously! You are not alone here. Not to mention the COVID-19 pandemic, the state of the world, politics…the world is rough right now, y’all. It’s only natural that you’re struggling.
At Metamorphosis Counseling, trauma is what we’re known for - all of us have dedicated our careers to knowing and understanding trauma, so that we can help you, our clients, make trauma just one part of their story rather than their whole identity. You’ll find compassionate, caring, knowledgeable therapists who are here to support and guide you through understanding, reconciling, and ultimately healing from your trauma.
In each session, you’re in the driver’s seat - what you and your therapist focus on, how much or little you process, even whether you talk about your trauma at all - is 100% guided by you. You will never feel rushed or pressured in trauma therapy at Metamorphosis. Your therapist is here with a road map, but your foot is on the gas and the brake - so you can rest assured that everything moves at your pace.
Therapy for Trauma FAQs
What therapy is best for trauma?
There are many great therapies that work for trauma - all as unique as the clients we serve. What therapy will work best for you depends on how you tend to think, how much work you want to do, and how your symptoms express themselves. At Metamorphosis, we specialize in a wide range of trauma modalities, so you can find exactly what you’re looking for! We specialize in:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT - pronounced “act”)
Click here to get started!
What therapy is used to release trauma?
When someone refers to “releasing” trauma, they’re typically referring to the physical signs and symptoms of trauma, such as tension, pain, physical health aliments, or sleep problems, just to name a few. All trauma therapies do some work to help release these symptoms, however, somatic therapies are often most effective at addressing specific physical symptoms. Metamorphosis Counseling offers Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) as well as Progressive Counting to address somatic needs. Click here to get started!
What is the difference between trauma and PTSD?
Trauma refers to the event that a person experienced that made a significant impact on them. Trauma can take many forms, big and small - some examples of traumatic events include:
car accidents
exposure to war/combat
verbal, physical, emotional, or sexual abuse
sexual assault
physical or emotional neglect in childhood
not having your physical needs met (e.g., hunger, homelessness)
Going through a major societal shift (e.g. the COVID-19 pandemic)
When someone experiences a trauma, we mean to say that they went through an event (or a cluster of events) like one listed above. However, not everyone who experiences trauma develops posttraumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. PTSD develops when a person is unable to reconcile the trauma as a part of their life’s story, and they remain stuck in the mental and physical response, as if the trauma is happening to them, over and over again.
Whether you’ve recently been through a trauma, or have developed PTSD, therapy can help. Click here to get started with a caring, compassionate therapist at Metamorphosis Counseling.
What does unprocessed trauma look like?
Trauma symptoms can vary from person to person. Some typical symptoms include:
Avoidance of anything that reminds you of the trauma - people, places, topics, objects, etc.
Moods that are atypical for you - depression, anxiety, guilt, feeling isolated
Nightmares about the trauma
Dissociation - feeling like your mind and body are separate from the world around you
Intrusive memories - suddenly, unexpectedly, and/or unwillingly remembering the trauma
Flashbacks - feeling like you’re back in the point in time when the trauma occurred
Unhealthy relationships - feeling like your identity relies on your relationships with others
Poor sense of self - feeling disconnected from who you are, not sure why you’re here or what you’re doing with your life
Critical inner thoughts - Your mind says things like, “I shouldn’t have survived,” “I should have fought harder,” “It’s all my fault,” “I deserved it”, etc.
Get help from an trauma therapist
No matter what you’ve been through, therapy can help you to sort through your trauma and get back to the life you want. Metamorphosis Counseling specializes in trauma, and you will find what you need with us. Click here to get started with a knowledgable, trauma-informed therapist today!