Trauma Therapy

Has Your Life Been Interrupted—Even Shattered By A Traumatic Event?

Woman sitting with hands on her head and looks sad

Do you have flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive memories about a painful experience that has fundamentally changed how you see yourself or navigate this world? Are you:

always on guard, waiting for the worst scenario to play out?
paranoid, distrustful of others, or socially withdrawn?
easily startled, irritated, excited, or angered?

Perhaps memories of a painful past are preventing you from enjoying the life you were meant to live, and you just want to move on. Or maybe you’re not sure if what you’ve gone through even qualifies as trauma or PSTD, but you’re hoping therapy will help you find relief regardless.

Trauma And PTSD Symptoms Manifest On Many Different Levels

For instance, you may be experiencing:

intense fear, hypervigilance, or panic attacks.
poor judgment or reckless/self-destructive behavior.
difficulty maintaining responsibilities or leaving the home.

repetitive and distressing sensations or imagery.

You’re probably having trouble in relationships because you’re either volatile or emotionally detached. Or you’re so overprotective of yourself and everyone you care about that you can never really let your guard down and just enjoy life.

Our therapists at Integral Psychological Services understand that trauma can disrupt your life in many ways, but it is possible to recover and forge a new path into the future. Working together, you can learn how to relax, quiet your mind, and finally get back to feeling like your old self.

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Trauma And PTSD Affect Millions Of People Nationwide

Life is full of adversity and stressors that have the potential to affect our mental well-being. However, trauma involves experiencing something that is so significant or painful that the memory of it becomes an obstacle in everyday life. It’s estimated that roughly half of the US adult population will experience a traumatic event within their lifetime* with six percent of adults developing PTSD at some point.**

Some precursors to trauma and PTSD include:

a bad accident, divorce, or the loss of a loved one or pregnancy.
childhood neglect, physical/emotional abuse, and domestic violence.
exposure to catastrophic or traumatic events—whether directly or remotely.
sexual violence, combat experience, physical assault, and serious medical diagnoses.

Why Are Trauma And PTSD So Difficult To Overcome Without Therapy?

Although trauma doesn’t always develop into PTSD, it can still have a devastating impact on a person’s life. Unfortunately, we’re part of a culture that implicitly expects people to pick themselves up and carry on like normal. However, most individuals lack the self-awareness and tools to manage symptoms and achieve lasting healing on their own.

Working with a trauma specialist can give you insight into your situation, provide relief for symptoms, and help you find your way to recovery. In time, you can take your life back and start living with a new sense of courage, calmness, and peace of mind.

Trauma Therapy Allows You To Reclaim Your Life From The Past

Man with hands on his face looking stressed

The human brain and body are hardwired to remember traumatic experiences in order to offer protection from similar events in the future. However, “storing” painful thoughts, emotions, memories, and sensations creates an incredible amount of suffering. Your mind and body get stuck on high alert, which makes you over-identify threats, keeping you in a constant state of fear. It’s exhausting!

And because it’s likely difficult for others to understand the depth of what you are going through, you may have trouble sharing your story—but that’s where a trauma/PTSD counselor can help. Therapy gives you a chance to unpack your experience and share your story with someone who understands and possesses the skills and tools needed to help you heal.

Whatever you are going through, we’ll meet you with compassion and empathy in a space free of judgment where you can take practical steps toward leaving the past behind you.

What Does Trauma and PTSD Treatment Involve?

First, you and your trauma counselor will meet for an overall assessment of your situation—and to get to know each other a little better. In subsequent sessions, we can begin exploring elements of your background that could inform or even complicate the healing process. That could include looking at your childhood years, current obstacles in life, and any other past traumatic experiences.

When you’re ready, we can discuss your story as well as some of the problematic thoughts, feelings, memories, or physical sensations you’re encountering. Or if you want to take it slower, we can explore your symptoms, what kind of impact they’re having on your life, and what you would ultimately like to achieve through trauma treatment.

What Kind Of Tools Do We Use In Trauma Counseling?

Everyone heals differently, so our trauma specialists at Integral Psychological Services use a range of therapeutic tools to create a treatment plan that suits each individual’s needs:

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy, or EMDR for trauma/PTSD, is an evidence-based strategy for reducing the intensity of negative thoughts, overwhelming emotions, and vivid memories associated with a traumatic event.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT for Trauma/PTSD) can help you make changes in your life where possible while teaching you how to navigate the unchangeable.
Exposure Therapy for trauma and PTSD teaches you how to gently face fears instead of resorting to avoidance or unhealthy coping mechanisms to manage symptoms.

Our therapists often integrate other therapeutic tools into trauma treatment, including psychodynamic theory, humanistic principles, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Trauma-Focused Therapy. We’ll also provide you with essential skills for tolerating distress, managing difficult emotions, building relationships, and staying in the present moment.

Trauma can have a lasting impact on your life, but the same is true for counseling. With our help, you can build tolerance to symptoms, reduce reactivity to psychological triggers, and assimilate your experiences into your life in such a way that they no longer define you or hold you back. In time, you can learn how to relax, take care of yourself, trust others, and finally feel comfortable in your own skin.

Perhaps You’re Considering Trauma and PTSD Counseling But Still Have Some Concerns...

Will thinking about the trauma make it worse?

The reality is that you are probably already thinking about your experience on a regular basis—if not reliving it daily. As you do, the pain not only gets worse, it spreads. So, although counseling may feel intimidating, it’s actually the best way to stop trauma from getting worse or developing into PTSD. We know that this process can be scary, which is why no matter what you’re going through, we’ll strive to make you feel comfortable and supported every step of the way.

Why am I so over-reactive and on guard all the time?

PTSD is a common response to trauma that locks your brain and body into a fight or flight mode that can’t be easily disarmed. The fear and pain end up influencing how you see yourself, the world, and other people, meaning it changes everything—even on a neurological level. However, trauma therapy can actually help you “re-wire” your brain by drawing upon its innate abilities to self-heal, allowing you to feel safer and regulate how you react to stimuli.

What if I'm not ready?

Our trauma counselors understand how scary it can be to share your story. After all, you’re exposing your wounds and voluntarily allowing yourself to be vulnerable—and that is an amazing thing! It takes courage and strength and inner wisdom, but it also takes time.

That means we’ll never push or prod, but rather, we’ll respect and support your individual needs, giving you the time and space needed to open up at your own pace.

It Is Possible To Reclaim Your Life From Trauma

If trauma or PTSD is holding you back or making it difficult to relax and enjoy life, our therapists at Integral Psychological Services want to help you find some relief. Please Contact Us, Email Us, or call (616) 600-2845 to see how our online or in-person trauma counseling services can help you reclaim your life from the past. You can also visit one of our physical locations in Grand Rapids, Comstock Park, Walker, and Rockford, Michigan.

*https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd

**https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/common/common_adults.asp