What is Trauma Therapy?

Trauma Therapy with a Certified Trauma Therapist in Lafayette, LA

Trauma is not always what you think. Most people think of trauma and think of something horrific. While that is one way of defining trauma, trauma can include any extremely distressing event or situation beyond the normal human experience. I'm confident that I can help you heal from whatever trauma is holding you back. I have training from some of the best experts in the field such as Linda Curran & Frank Anderson along with EMDRIA approved EMDR Basic Training & advanced EMDRIA trainings such as EMDR for First Responders & EMDR + IFS Parts Protocol: An EMDR Advanced Training.

Trauma Therapy

Peter Levine

“TRAUMA IS A FACT OF LIFE. IT DOES NOT, HOWEVER, HAVE TO BE A LIFE SENTENCE.”

What is Trauma & PTSD?

Trauma is an emotional response to a deeply distressing or traumatic event. People who have experienced trauma may suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which can be characterized by intense anxiety, flashbacks, nightmares, and other symptoms. PTSD can significantly interfere with day-to-day activities and increase the risk of developing other mental health problems. Treatment for trauma and PTSD often involves a combination of psychotherapy, medications, support groups, lifestyle changes, relaxation techniques, and other interventions. Knowing the signs and symptoms of trauma can help people seek out professional help and support to manage their condition. If you or someone you know is struggling with trauma or PTSD please reach out for help.

Symptoms of PTSD

Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) is the direct experience of,  witnessing of, or learning of a traumatic event. We can also experience micro traumas  (little t) that others may not recognize as impactful but for you can still be distressing.

There are 4 main categories of symptoms of trauma as defined by the DSM-V-TR: 

  1. Avoidance Symptoms

  2. Re-Experiencing Symptoms

  3. Hyperarousal Symptoms

  4. Negative Mood & Cognition Symptoms

Symptoms may include things such as distressing dreams, flashbacks, body reactions to internal or external triggers; repeated, disturbing or unwanted memories, reliving the experience, avoidance of memories, or sleep difficulties.

Trauma Modalities Used

  • Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR)

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

  • Narrative Therapy

  • Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

  • Prolonged Exposure (PE)

  • Written Exposure Therapy

Types of Trauma

Acute or Single Incident Trauma

Results from exposure to a singular event or overwhelming experience including a single event of abuse, sudden loss, car accident, or witnessing of violence. 

Complex Trauma

Results from chronic, multiple, and/or prolonged exposure to overwhelming, compromising, distressing events. Usually within the context of an interpersonal relationship such as violence, neglect, or abuse.

Developmental Trauma

Results from earlier onset exposure to ongoing or repetitive trauma throughout one's childhood. Can include physical and/or sexual assault & abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, abandonment, or witnessing death or violence. 

Repetitive Trauma

Results from exposure to chronic/prolonged or multiple experiences of overwhelming traumatic events such as living with a chronic or terminal illness that requires treatment. 

Vicarious Trauma

Results over time from hearing or witnessing other people's suffering & needs. 

Intergenerational Trauma

Passed down from those who directly experienced an incident to the later or subsequent generations. 

Historical or Shared Trauma

Results from the traumatic events or experiences that a large group of people share with society or entire ethnicity, community, or national group. 

What is EMDR?

Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) is an evidence based & heavily research treatment that was first developed in 1987. The goal of EMDR is to help clients reprocess dysfunctionally stored memories or events with the use of the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) model to reduce symptoms of anxiety through desensitization with the use of bilateral stimulation (BLS). In addition, EMDR helps clients reprocess dysfunctionally stored memories which results in changing the negative beliefs/thoughts that surround those memories.

What can EMDR treat?

  • PTSI/PTSD

  • Anxiety Disorders

  • Phobias

  • Panic Disorder

  • Grief

  • Depression

  • Chemical Dependency

  • Dissociative Disorders

  • Performance Anxiety

  • Body Dysmorphia

  • Personality Disorders

  • Eating Disorders

Integrating IFS & EMDR

IFS and EMDR are modalities that compliment each other to provide transformative results for healing. With my advanced training in both IFS and EMDR as well as training in the integration of these two models specifically, we can use these treatments to help increase self-awareness and achieve deeper traumatic resolution and healing. In IFS, we honor the system’s protective parts that sometimes interfere with Phase 4 in EMDR if they feel overlooked. Therefore, we approach Phases 1-2 of EMDR through an IFS informed lens which helps build trust therefore using IFS as an entryway to your inner system and then using EMDR to heal.