Are you finding it difficult to deal with symptoms of trauma? Talk to our professional trauma therapist for help.

What Happened to Me?

Are you experiencing self-doubt or questioning if thing are really that bad? Are you feeling keyed up or on edge? Do you feel stuck or unable to move-on from what happened? Do seemingly small challenges make you feel overwhelmed? “If I could just forget or stop thinking about this my life could be so much better. I can’t seem to connect with others in a way that feels safe.”

Do you find yourself struggling to trust others and are holding back from meaningful connections? These concerns may be the result of unresolved trauma.

What is Trauma?

Trauma occurs precisely when an event is overwhelming to a point where a person is unable to rationalize, defend, process or accept what is happening to them or someone close to them. Trauma fragments the brain’s ability to make sense and therefore move on from the onslaught. The event when it occurs overwhelms and drives us to our basic survival responses.

When the traumatic incident occurred did you find yourself unable to move? You may even find yourself tensing up or being easily startled throughout your day. After a traumatic event, you may develop an exaggerated stress response. It involves a recurrent pattern of reactions related to the initial event. You aren’t alone in experiencing this, it is actually one of the most common signs of having been traumatized.

Other signs include:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Irritability

• Panic Attacks

• Numbing

• Insomnia

• Flashbacks

• Hopelessness

• Loss of a sense of self

For those whose trauma has been ongoing or repeated, these symptoms may be magnified. In such cases, the symptoms may even seem unrelated but will cause functional difficulties, nonetheless. When memories, flashbacks, or relationship difficulties seem to be ruling your life, you may be experiencing complex trauma.

What is Complex Trauma?

Complex trauma arises from exposure to multiple traumatic events which often occur during childhood. Emotional, physical and sexual abuse, exploitation or bullying, and even being trafficked are the most common root causes. Sometimes a parent or person caring for a child has their own trauma experiences, and their child inevitably is adversely affected.

Complex trauma is not always the result of childhood trauma. It can also occur as a result of adults’ experience of violence in the home, university, neighborhood and workplace. The abuse could be physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, financial or spiritual-PTSD, which if left untreated can develop into Complex Trauma. The long-term effects of this exposure should be assessed by a mental health professional as soon as possible.

Some indications that may be experiencing complex trauma are:

• Persistent unresolved guilt

• Constant feelings of shame and worthlessness

• Trouble feeling “safe” within your own body

• Deep distrust of authority figures

• Anxiety around intimacy/ aversion to close relationships

• Being easily startled

• Self-harming behaviors

• Chronic pain

• Using food or substances to cope with strong emotions

Healing is Possible

While these “symptoms” may become the focus of treatment, it is also important to consider the root cause and address the whole person and the experiences that brought up these concerns. A trauma sensitive approach to therapy allows you to explore your current difficulties while keeping in mind that we are complex beings with histories that impact us. We look to understand how we survived our most difficult experiences and how to utilize those strengths while learning new tools to continue to thrive.

The world of therapy has come a long way in the treatment of trauma, PTSD and CPTSD. There is a greater understanding of how trauma is held within the body and manifests symptoms. Through trauma-focused therapy, you can learn to understand not only the circumstances that led to the trauma but also uncover your strengths and utilize them to shift the patterns that are keeping you stuck.

Why Haven Mental Health Counseling?

At HMC we have a range of modalities that have been empirically proven to improve your mental health.

Body-centered (somatic) therapy links the healing elements of verbal sharing with the power of bodily relief. It allows you to work through not only the thoughts and underlying beliefs that have resulted from the trauma, but accesses the healing capacity of the brain and body to develop a deeper, more felt sense of internal safety. The goal of somatic therapy is not only to cultivate a deep level of healing, but to bring forward your intuition and inner capacity to better manage stress and maintain a healthy mind-body connection. A commitment to trauma sensitive counseling leads to a renewed commitment to yourself through which you can master methods to self-soothe, feel grounded, and connect with your spiritual self as well.

EMDR

EMDR, short for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, is a form of trauma therapy that is known to be a highly effective treatment for healing symptoms of PTSD and other emotional conditions, such as grief, addiction and eating disorders. EMDR helps the brain processes difficult past events and helps people let things go. Following EMDR treatment, you can find that you no longer unwillingly relive the trauma. While you can still recall that the incident happened, the incident will longer upset you or disrupt your ability to live a fulfilling life.

We prioritize creating a safe, inclusive space that provides culturally competent and trauma informed counseling. At HMHC, we utilize somatic modalities of therapy to harness the body’s innate wisdom and movement towards healing and growth. Our diverse team of therapists strive to create an authentic relationship with every client and believe in the holistic nature of the mind, body, and soul. We recognize the challenges and hesitations of our clients as part of the process of growth and do not view people as needing to be fixed. At Haven MHC, you will not be pathologized, judged or criticized, but rather encouraged to grow organically and holistically.

You may be thinking “I do not want to talk about what happened, I am afraid I will be overwhelmed.”. You survived this much, for this long, and that is proof that you have the strength to face the past and get well. Our therapists are here to help you along this next phase in your healing, you will no longer be doing this alone. We want to not only help you live a life without symptoms but also help transform your post-traumatic stress into post-traumatic growth.

Get Help for Your Trauma

In the course of life, you will experience traumatic events that are emotionally painful. If not treated, these events may result in mental and even physical effects. A trauma specialist is a licensed mental health therapist specializing in trauma. They have extensive training and clinical experience working directly with trauma victims.

Effective Trauma Counselling

At Haven Mental Health Counseling, our licensed trauma therapists focus on whole-person healing. We have a dedicated team of culturally sensitive and ethical associates ready to help you through your therapeutic journey. Treating trauma safely and respectfully is our top priority.

Trauma Therapist NYC, Nassau County, Queens: Schedule an Appointment

Our therapy for trauma is personalized for your specific needs and schedule. We serve Nassau County, Queens, and the entire NYC. Get help for your trauma now!