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Trauma Therapy
Therapy for trauma can include a variety of modalities, including EMDR, IFS, and psychodynamic therapy, as well as somatic practices to help teach your nervous system safety. With the right support, you can begin to discern past from present and restore your sense of safety.
What is trauma and how can it impact people?
Trauma is an event or culmination of events that threaten our physical or emotional safety, overwhelm our ability to cope, and change the way we view ourselves and/or the world. Trauma has less to do with the contents of an event and more to do with the individual’s interpretation and internalization of it. That’s why two different people can experience the same situation and be impacted in dramatically different ways, or why something can be traumatic to a child but not to an adult.
Oftentimes when we think of trauma, we picture an acute, life-threatening event, such as an accident, natural disaster, or assault. And while these situations can absolutely be traumatic, trauma can take many shapes and forms. Many of us have experienced a kind of trauma called chronic trauma or “little-t trauma,” which refers to the repeated experience of being threatened, rejected, shamed, misunderstood, ridiculed, or “othered” in some way. This typically occurs in childhood and can be so normalized that many people who are experiencing trauma symptoms don’t register them as such.
What are some of the symptoms of trauma?
Trauma can impact both our emotional and physical wellbeing, as well as our relationships. Below are some of the common manifestations of trauma; however, it’s important to remember that there may be other causes for these symptoms. A medical or mental health professional can help you determine whether your symptoms are related to trauma/PTSD.
Anxiety and/or panic attacks
Difficulty trusting self or others
Unexplained sleep disturbances
Intrusive thoughts related to trauma
Feeling worthless, shameful, or “bad”
Dissociation and/or difficulty concentrating
Unexplained chronic pain or physical issues
Addictive behaviors
Feeling constantly on edge or hypervigilant
Desire to withdraw or isolate oneself
Fear of losing control
What are some of the common types of trauma?
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A single, overwhelming event (such as an accident or assault) that exceeds a person’s ability to cope and can have lasting emotional and physiological effects.
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Repeated or prolonged exposure to distressing experiences that can deeply impact a person’s sense of self, relationships, and nervous system over time.
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Relational trauma that occurs when early caregivers are inconsistent, unavailable, or unsafe, disrupting a person’s sense of security and shaping how they connect, trust, and regulate emotions in relationships.
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The sudden or distressing loss of a loved one through death, separation, or rupture that overwhelms the nervous system and can complicate the grieving process.
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Trauma stemming from experiences of discrimination, marginalization, or oppression related to aspects of one’s identity (e.g., race, gender, sexuality), which can impact self-worth, safety, and belonging.
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Any experience involving non-consensual sexual contact or coercion that can lead to profound emotional, psychological, and bodily impacts, often affecting safety, trust, and self-perception
What if I’m nervous to start trauma therapy?
For many people, the thought of diving deep into their past is terrifying. It can feel intimidating to unpack experiences and relationships that have caused you harm, especially if you’ve done a good job of compartmentalizing your past and present.
Moving at a slow, safe pace is essential for effective trauma work, and it’s important that your therapist respect your unique process. If you have a trauma history, you probably know what it feels like to have your boundaries violated, autonomy taken away, and sense of safety compromised. Therapy is not a space where you should ever feel that way, and you should be in control of the pace and content of the session.
If you’re worried about talking through trauma, EMDR can be a helpful alternative to talk therapy. Not only is it shown to be highly effective for trauma treatment, it requires far less talking than traditional therapy. This can take pressure off clients to describe trauma out-loud to another person, which can be a scary experience in itself.
Getting started
We invite you to book a free, 15-minute intro call to learn more about therapy at Flatiron Wellness. We’ll use this time to review your reasons for seeking therapy and discuss what working together could look like.
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Let’s chat! We’ll use this time to explore your reasons for seeking therapy, answer any questions you might have, and discuss what working together could look like.
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Understanding insurance coverage can be frustrating and confusing, which is we offer an easy-to-use insurance verification tool to make the cost of therapy clear.
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We offer in-person therapy out of our Flatiron, NYC office, as well as virtual therapy to clients anywhere in New York.