Trauma

Trauma is not limited to war, natural disasters, terrorism, or violence. Most of us have had some experience of trauma and many of us have a mix of developmental, attachment, and event traumas.  The reactions we carry from trauma can be mild or severe, and can cause deep distress and confusion for those experiencing perceived trauma as well as for those who are around them.  Trauma can impact parenting, romantic relationships, family dynamics, employment, and the ability to navigate changes. 

autism and trauma therapy - spectrumservicesnyc.com

Trauma

Trauma is not limited to war, natural disasters, terrorism, or violence. Most of us have had some experience of trauma and many of us have a mix of developmental, attachment, and event traumas.  The reactions we carry from trauma can be mild or severe, and can cause deep distress and confusion for those experiencing perceived trauma as well as for those who are around them.  Trauma can impact parenting, romantic relationships, family dynamics, employment, and the ability to navigate changes. 

long term effects

We may often experience the long term effects of trauma by having present time reactions to benign situations (also known as “perceived trauma”).  We can experience emotional overwhelm, shame, panic, or anger when there is no clear cause.  There may also be physical symptoms, such as increased heart rate, dizziness, numbness, and/or shortness of breath.  This “hyperarousal” may also include impulsivity, hypervigilance, defensiveness, feeling unsafe, being overly reactive, having racing thoughts, or appearing passive or as having no feelings.  Often, those who are experiencing a perceived trauma experience feel an energy drain, a sense of being unable to think clearly, and/or a sense of being disconnected from others.  

healing

At Spectrum Services we use multiple modalities to approach the complex experiences that our clients have in relationship to developmental, attachment, and event traumas.  Our goal is to support you in becoming an expert on your individual trauma responses and how to move forward with greater freedom. Through empathic witnessing, we help you develop the tools to integrate the traumatized child/self and transform triggers into moments where you are grounded, expansive, and able to decipher what is happening for you.  You are then able to respond rather than react. We do this with a body-centered (somatic) approach. 

Recent research has shown that therapeutic approaches that solely utilize talk therapy can often result in more activation of the trauma responses and create more symptoms and difficulty.  This is why it is important to approach trauma from body up rather than from head down.  We will help you ground and resource your nervous system using research backed techniques. We integrate neurobiology and the modern science of brain research, attachment theory, systems approach, trauma expertise, mindfulness, and the application of advanced strategies such as sensorimotor psychotherapy, EFT, EMDR, and somatic experiencing, in a blend of cognitive, emotional, and physical interventions.By healing trauma we can become freed into a deeper understanding of ourselves and our ability to enter into our lives with ease.

“Trauma is hell on earth. Trauma resolved is a gift from the gods.”