Trauma Therapist Jacksonville FL

About Trauma Therapy in Jacksonville

Trauma has become a popular word in our culture in recent years, but what is trauma? Trauma is what results after a traumatic event. It's not the event itself but the affect the event has on your brain and body. Some life events are considered to be traumatic experiences by the majority of people such as car accidents, natural disasters, sexual assaults, or domestic violence relationships. However, trauma is much broader than this. Because trauma is how the event is received by the individual, there are hundreds of scenarios that could be considered a traumatic experience. If you are alive, it's fair to say that you will experience trauma in your life. There's no avoiding it as life just happens and things come out of nowhere.

Life doesn't slow down when you've experienced a traumatic event. This contributes to people not having a chance to breathe and process what took place. Life keeps happening and while you're trying to keep up, your traumatic experience gets pushed to the side. As a result, the traumatic event can become "stuck" inside.

Childhood trauma is another huge area where trauma therapy can help. Even though it may have been long ago, your childhood can still affect you in your current life. There is a saying that you many not remember or want to remember but your nervous system remembers. In other words, you may have done your best to forget or keep childhood trauma out of your mind, but your body remembers and can experience trauma symptoms as a result.

Some people develop post traumatic stress disorder as a result of traumatic experiences. Those that have experienced multiple incidents of trauma without resolution may develop complex trauma referred to as complex ptsd.

The criteria for a diagnosis of post traumatic stress disorder is as follows:

Criterion A (1 required): The person was exposed to: actual or threatened death, actual or threatened serious injury, or actual or threatened sexual violence, in the following way(s):

• Directly experiencing the traumatic event

• Witnessing the traumatic event

• Learning that the trauma happened to a close relative or close friend

• Indirect exposure to trauma, usually in the course of professional duties (such as first responders)

Criterion B (1 required): The traumatic event is persistently re-experienced, in the following way(s):

• Unwanted and bothersome memories

• Nightmares

• Flashbacks

• Emotional distress after exposure to traumatic reminders

• Physical reactivity after exposure to traumatic reminders

Criterion C (1 required): Avoidance of trauma-related stimuli after the trauma, in the following way(s):

• Trauma-related thoughts or feelings

• Trauma-related reminders

Criterion D (2 required): Negative thoughts or feelings that began or worsened after the trauma, in the following way(s):

• Inability to recall significant parts of the trauma

• Overly negative thoughts and assumptions about oneself or the world

• Exaggerated blame of self or others for causing the trauma

• Negative affect

• Decreased interest in activities

• Feeling isolated

• Difficulty experiencing positive affect

Criterion E (2 required): Trauma-related arousal and reactivity that began or worsened after the trauma, in the following way(s):

• Irritability or aggression

• Risky behavior

• Hypervigilance

• Heightened startle reaction

• Difficulty concentrating

• sleep disturbances

Criterion F (required): Symptoms last for more than 1 month.

Criterion G (required): Symptoms create distress or functional impairment (e.g., social, occupational).

Criterion H (required): Symptoms are not due to medication, substance use or other illness.

It's so important to note that under the current diagnostic criteria, you do not have to have experienced the event yourself. You may have developed symptoms of ptsd by witnessing a traumatic event, having been told about a traumatic event that happened to your loved one, or having been exposed to a traumatic event through your work duties. This is how impactful to your brain and body traumatic experiences can be. You are not broken or crazy if any of this resonates.

Benefits of Trauma Therapy

Seeking therapy to help you heal is a huge step in the right direction. Through trauma therapy, you have a safe place to talk about your trauma when you are ready and in a way that is comfortable for you. Trauma therapy allows you to heal the icky emotions, thoughts, beliefs, and sensations that are part of your trauma. You will increase your self-awareness greatly and learn new coping strategies that are unique to trauma therapy. Your triggers will go away, and you will notice yourself reacting in a calmer way to things that may have previously bothered you. the traumatic event you have struggled with or avoided for years, will be filed away in a more neutral manner. Learning ways to release past trauma from your body allows you to feel lighter, more free and relaxed.

Finding the Right Trauma Therapist in Jacksonville, FL

Qualifications to Look For

It is recommended that you seek a licensed mental health professional for trauma treatment in order to help guide you in on your healing journey. The therapeutic relationship is crucial. This is the relationship you have with your therapist where you, ideally, feel safe and have a solid level of trust with them. Some therapists specialize in trauma and thus, have pursued additional training in this area. It is recommended that you seek someone who is does not just provide trauma-informed care but is trauma-trained. Therapists that are trauma-trained have been trained in how to help clients resolve their past trauma.

Traditional talk therapy can be helfpul for some, expecially if you've never talked about your trauma. However, after a while, people tend to desire a deeper healing. This is where therapeutic approaches such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, provide deeper healing.

Questions to Ask Potential Trauma Therapists

When you speak to a mental health therapist that you are interested in working with, you may want to ask them any or all of the following questions to figure out if they're the right therapist for you:

• How many years of experience do they have as a therapist?

• How much of their practice involves trauma therapy?

• Do they have experience with your specific form of trauma?

• How would they describe their approach to trauma therapy?

• What approaches do they use to resolve trauma in clients, such as EMDR therapy, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?

• Do they provide in-person or online therapy or both?

What to Expect During Trauma Therapy

Duration and Frequency of Therapy

The frequency of trauma therapy sessions may be weekly at first, but can move to every other week depending on your specific needs. The therapist and client will work together to decide on the best treatment approach for the client. Generally, I encourage people to do weekly therapy sessions at first as the more they show up for trauma therapy, the faster they will find the healing they desire.

It's important to note that when it comes to trauma, a well-trained therapist will go at a pace that is comfortable for you. They will not push you to talk about anything that you are not ready to talk about. They will help you learn grounding techniques, understand dissociation and dissociative disorder, and learn coping skills that are specific to trauma therapy before you get into the deeper work.

Your therapist may be trained in certain evidence-based treatments they will use to help you resolve your trauma such as Motivational Interviewing, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or EMDR therapy.

As an EMDR therapist, I like to utilize a more holistic approach with my clients. I am certified in EMDR therapy, which utilizes bilateral stimulation as part of the healing process. I also utilize parts work, especially when it comes to childhood trauma. My therapeutic approach incorporates somatic interventions with a focus on attachment science as well.

How to Get Started with Trauma Therapy in Jacksonville, FL

To get started, the first step is to fill out the form below. I’ll reach out to schedule your free consultation as the next step so I can make sure that I’m the best fit for you and your concerns.

Our first session is 90 minutes. After that, regular virtual sessions are 60/90/120 minutes depending on what you prefer. Our first few sessions are very much about building rapport and trust and getting to know your current situation and history. We discuss what you want to get out of therapy, including what your goals are, and create a simple treatment plan to guide our time together. I start where you want to start. You do not have to share anything that you are not yet ready to share. We always go at a pace that is comfortable with you.