550 SE 6th Ave, #200, Suite J, Delray Beach, Florida 33483
Elyce Gordon Counseling - The Feeling Expert (917
WHAT IS TRAUMA?
WHAT IS TRAUMA/PTSD?
PTSD and trauma can occur when something happens that overwhelms your ability to cope. The underlying event could be many things.
There are single-incident traumas – events like an isolated assault, a car or bicycle accident, a sudden betrayal, or a natural disaster. Very often, however, traumatic events pile up. Abusive childhoods and marriages are a series of traumatic events. So, too, are constant bullying, a relentless disease, and jobs in which you frequently see others traumatized. The symptoms of trauma are complex and layered. You may recognize some of them:
They could be psychological or emotional, such as shaky confidence, depression, anxiety, irritability, self-hatred, decreased concentration, flashbacks, or hyper-vigilance.
Or they could involve your actions, like substance abuse and other self-destructive behaviors.
If you’re experiencing any of these things, you probably want nothing more than your life to return to normal.
TRAUMA/PTSD
the root of Trauma
Emotional trauma is often the root of negative emotions and behaviors that can hold us back. At The Feeling Expert, trauma as an event(s) in one’s life, during any stage of life, that causes pain. Sometimes, the pain we experience through our lives can lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms. Pain is at the root of negative maladaptive behaviors, and these negative behaviors are symptoms of unresolved trauma. The Feeling Expert specializes in helping individuals heal from their unresolved trauma.
does your past haunt you?
When something terrible happens, it can stay with you for a long time. You just can’t forget it. The sights. The sounds. The smells.
The look on someone’s face, perhaps. The tone of voice. The sinking feeling in your gut.
They sneak up on you – even if you don’t want to go there. It overtakes your thoughts, maybe even bordering on obsession.
Thinking about it makes you upset. It affects your mood. There’s confusion, sadness, and anger. You may even want revenge.
You start to see the world and your place in it differently. You feel less safe. It’s common to wonder whom you can trust, whether you are responsible, and how to prevent it from happening again.
This is what trauma does.
A PHYSIOLOGICAL TRAUMA RESPONSE
When faced with traumatic events, we form what is called a "Trauma Response" which is simply our emotional and physical response to our trauma. Trauma responses vary greatly from one person to the next, but are rooted in the pain of the experience and not often times how we want to act. What might a response to the pain of trauma manifest as?
COGNITIVE & EMOTIONAL RESPONSES SUCH AS:
- Anxiety and depression
- Chronic unhappiness
- Shame and guilt
- Anger and rage
- Control and care-taking
- Perfectionism
- People pleasing
- Self-hate & loathing
SOMATIC & Physical responses, such as:
- Self-harm
- Unhealthy or binge use of alcohol and/or drugs
- Unhealthy sexual behaviors
- Unhealthy or disordered eating
- Unhealthy amounts of time spent gaming or gambling
- Unhealthy amounts of time spent shopping or spending beyond available funds for such
- Social isolation
spiral into ongoing and chronic negative coping behaviors
Furthermore, negative trauma responses can spiral into ongoing and chronic negative coping behaviors, which keep us engaged in unhealthy relationships with unhealthy behaviors if left untreated. This can include unhealthy:
- Relationship with ourselves, which can include self-esteem issues, struggles with perfectionism (or feelings of "never good enough"), and more.
- Relationships with other People, which can include struggles with any interpersonal relationship: intimate relationships, friendships, and family relationships.
- Relationships with substances, which can include not just substance abuse, but engaging in unhealthy overindulgence with any alcohol, prescribed medications, and/or illicit substances.
- Relationships with sex & intimacy
- Relationship with food
- Relationship with work & career
- Relationship with finances
I CAN HELP YOU
THE FEELING EXPERT IS HERE TO HELP
Trauma can lead to lots of pain – confusion, rage, guilt, shame, anxiety, and an assortment of other difficult emotions. It can also leave you feeling numb.
Trauma experienced in families can be particularly lonely. It is often covered up and kept secret. And when you tell someone, it’s risky; many times it doesn’t go well.
It’s easy to feel like no one really understands.
Counseling is a step out of the pain and isolation – a way to start healing.
The Feeling Expert works to uncovering-producing trauma, re frame it in a healthy manner, heal the woundedness within us, relearn and regain critical boundaries that were damaged, develop healthy emotional response skills, learn healthy behavior patterns in place of unhealthy ones, and recover the person suffering. By working to heal the underlying pain, the negative symptomatic responses are reduced or eliminated, allowing for a healthy and fulfilled future.
HEALING TRAUMA
Therapy is a way to move forward. Week by week, you make changes that lessen the pain. You find your footing and take action. Ultimately, it’s about reclaiming your power. This is critical.A common theme with trauma is powerlessness. When it comes to trauma, you don’t choose what happened. Someone or something else decided for you. You didn’t have a voice. In therapy, you do. In therapy, you turn it around. You use your voice. You take charge of your healing. You decide where to set limits and what you want life to look like.
HEALING TRAUMA/PTSD
YOU ARE THE AUTHOR OF YOUR LIFE
The past can stay there. It’s time for something new. When you engage in therapy, you’ll reap multiple benefits. You’ll learn about trauma and how it can affect you. You’ll learn how to identify and work with triggers, as well as process and release the difficult emotions. As you work through your trauma, you’ll move toward greater self-care and self-compassion while changing negative beliefs that resulted from it. As you’re continuing to grow, you’ll be better able to help partners and loved ones understand your experience. You’ll ultimately learn to live with greater joy, spontaneity, and creativity. Contact The Feeling Expert at (917) 922-5050 today!
TRAUMA EDUCATION
There are three main types of trauma are acute, chronic, or complex.
- Acute trauma results from a single incident.
- Chronic trauma is repeated and prolonged such as domestic violence or abuse.
- Complex trauma is exposure to varied and multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature.
Symptoms of psychological trauma
- Shock, denial, or disbelief.
- Confusion, difficulty concentrating.
- Anger, irritability, mood swings.
- Anxiety and fear.
- Guilt, shame, self-blame.
- Withdrawing from others.
- Feeling sad or hopeless.
- Feeling disconnected or numb.
21 Common Reactions to Trauma
Are you feeling triggered as if the past is happening in the present moment and you feel like you are reliving an old experience?
Ways to cope
Do you find yourself reading every self help book but nothing seems to help or make sense ?