Trauma: Do I have Trauma?

A common statement that I most often hear from clients is " I don't have any trauma. Nothing catastrophic has ever happened to me". There may not have been any big incidents that you would identify as trauma but, there still may be disturbing events that your body is holding on to. I encourage you to not get preoccupied with defining trauma, but to notice what it is you are holding onto that may be causing distress.

Giving yourself permission to view trauma form this perspective frees you from the pressure of labeling the event. Clients have shared with me that they feel guilty using the word trauma, as if somehow using the word negates another person's experience. It is normal to feel this way but, it is important to remember that we are unique individuals who process and experience life in our own way. In order to protect and care for you, your brain stores the event from the perspective/age of who you were at the time the incident occurred. Who you were at the time of the event is different from who you are today but, your brain has not had the opportunity to process and store this memory in a healthy way. Instead, it is frozen or stuck in its original format.

The good news is that we know how to process memories and get them unstuck! Through EMDR (Eye Movement and Desensitization and Reprocessing ), we are able to target specific memories, reprocess them, and store them in an adaptive format. EMDR is an extremely effective tool that is used in the healing process. Whether you feel that you have a huge trauma, or a disturbing event, EMDR can work for you!

If you or someone you know has experienced disturbing events, and are ready to begin treatment, please feel free to give me a call, and we can work together on finding the treatment option that works best for you.

Call to schedule an appointment at 615-982-5710

Ginger Poag, MSW, LCSW

gpoag@brentwoodwellnesscounseling.com

https://www.brentwoodwellnesscounseling.com