Trauma & PTSD

TRAUMA & PTSD THERAPY IN EDMONTON

We are not a product of what has happened to us in our past. We have the power of choice. ― Stephen Covey

When facing or witnessing a life-threatening, traumatic event, your whole world can be turned upside down. It can be hard to put everything back together again and feel normal. This is because your brain needs to heal. Trauma-Informed Therapy can help give your brain a boost to begin the healing process and provide proper guidance for you to overcome the root of your symptoms. Learn valuable tools to manage stress and the unpleasant ripples of trauma.

Get help with:

Distress due to Trauma
Flashbacks & Unwanted Memories
Fear
Negative Thoughts Related to Trauma
Nightmares
Physical Sensations of Trauma

TRAUMA & PTSD

WHAT IS TRAUMA?

Trauma is the overwhelming emotional response to a deeply distressing event. Traumatic events threaten our sense of security, safety, and our wellbeing. They can make us feel helpless, alone, and overwhelmed, with effects lasting for years if not dealt with in therapy.

Traumatic events can happen once in our life time (like a car accident) or can be ongoing (like bullying). Common examples include:

motor vehicle accident
neglect & abuse (verbal, emotional, mental, physical, sexual)
work-related incidents (vicarious trauma)
natural disaster
tragic death or loss
major life changes & stressors (moving, divorce)
violence
severe bullying
acts of terrorism
intergenerational trauma (emotional and psychological impacts are passed down)

WHAT IS PTSD?

During a traumatic event, your nervous system can become flooded with emotion and information, leading to overload and overwhelm. Your brain is unable to process everything all at once and these memories can become frozen in your mind.

If you continue to experience distress when reminded of the traumatic incident, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can develop. PTSD is a natural response to trauma that does not fade away. PTSD symptoms usually appear within 3 months after the event, or not until years later. You may also experience anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues if trauma is not dealt with.

SYMPTOMS OF PTSD:

We all react to trauma differently, depending on our personal circumstances. There are no right or wrong ways to respond. You are experiencing normal reactions to an abnormal incident.

Common symptoms of PTSD include:

repeated, vivid memories of the event
nightmares of the event
re-experiencing the event over & over (flashbacks)
feeling distress when reminded of the event (can be felt in the body)
avoiding people, places, & things that remind you of the event
feeling on edge or hypervigilent
startled easily
blaming yourself & feeling guilty
feeling helpless & inadequate
difficulty sleeping or staying asleep
irritable or becoming angry easily
difficulty feeling joy
loss of interest in activities that you usually enjoy
difficulty concentrating

COUNSELLING FOR TRAUMA & PTSD

HOW COUNSELLING CAN HELP

Trauma therapy can help you become unstuck, so that you can process your past and move forward. You will get to the root of your symptoms so that you can truly heal. You will also learn helpful strategies to strengthen the relaxation response of the mind and body. With the right guidance, you can restore your sense of self and find peace in your life again.

Benefits of counselling for trauma & PTSD:

have a safe space to talk about your past & make meaning of your experiences
gain an understanding of the trauma that you experienced
heal from your past wounds so that you can move forward
learn practical tools to reduce stress & PTSD symptoms
learn how to calm the mind & regulate your nervous system
boost your confidence & self-esteem
feel more grounded & calm
reconnect with your true self
achieve balance in your overall life

What else helps you heal From trauma?

Resilience: the ability to bounce back from hardship

There's tons of research on resilience and living a meaningful life following a traumatic event. Here are a few helpful ways to begin healing:

SUPPORT: talk to someone that you trust about how you're feeling & what you're going through
GROUPS: find a local support group for trauma survivors. It can help to have people to relate to.
STRESS REDUCTION: practice strategies that relieve stress for you (try deep breathing, exercise, yoga, colouring, painting, reading, cleaning)
SELF-CARE: take good care of yourself emotionally, physically, and mentally (eat nutritious food, try to rest when you can, get moving, stretch, cry, journal)
BE KIND TO YOURSELF: we often take on more responsibility than we should for the traumatic event. Remind yourself that it is not your fault that this happened to you.
GROUNDING: learn effective strategies to deal with flashbacks and unwanted memories (look around you and name 10 things you see of the same colour)
THERAPY: We are specially trained in EMDR therapy, among other proven therapies (like CBT & DBT) to help people effectively heal from trauma

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR is the gold-standard treatment for healing from emotional distress related to past trauma (or PTSD symptomology) or life-threatening experiences.

When experiencing or witnessing trauma, your whole world can be shaken and things may never seem to go back to normal. Your brain does not have time to effectively process the trauma, so you become easily reminded of it years later. You need more than temporary coping skills to fully recover from these experiences.

EMDR therapy heals the mind when you access those traumatic memories in a safe and controlled manner, with the guidance of a trained psychologist. This allows your brain to reprocess these memories properly and file them away in the right place. Your brain can heal itself, just as your body can heal from physical trauma.