Brainspotting and Psychotherapy services in the San Francisco Bay Area in Oakland, CA
Trauma Therapy: The Whole Person Approach
“Trauma decontextualized in a person looks like personality.
Trauma decontextualized in a family looks like family traits.
Trauma decontextualized in people looks like culture.”
- Resmaa Menakem
Most clients benefit from trauma-oriented therapy regardless of their reasons for coming to therapy because both mental health issues (like anxiety and depression) and coping behaviors (like addiction) are often symptoms of the cumulative effects of unprocessed trauma - not simply isolated issues to be treated separately and only by engaging the mind without the body.
Two main indicators that unprocessed trauma is potentially part of your mental health story are the presence of minimization and avoidance.
Minimization can manifest as thoughts like “it wasn't that bad…everyone experiences bullying or pain or humiliation at some point…other people had it worse…it was so long ago it doesn’t matter anymore…I made my peace with it so I don't have to talk about it”.
Avoidance of revisiting the past can look like literally not talking about it, but also avoiding it emotionally - maybe you can talk about a traumatic past but you sound like you’re recalling what you ate for dinner last night. If this sounds familiar, you may still be disconnecting from the emotional toll trauma has taken.
Sound familiar? Trauma treatment may be right for you!
Trauma Therapy Offers Comprehensive Healing By Design
Not all stress is caused by trauma, and not all trauma causes stress.
Having a seasoned therapist who can differentiate between cumulative stress, acute stress and stress caused by more deeply rooted complex or episodic trauma is crucial for comprehensive healing.
Cumulative stress may be the result of a lifetime of enduring microaggressions, feeling like the "failure" of the family, or working at a high stress job.
Acute stress may occur during a major life event or transition, including ones we are conditioned to anticipate with joy such as marriage or the birth of a child.
Traumatic stress often results in our whole selves becoming “stuck” after a difficult, horrific, shocking, unusual or violating experience (or experiences).
When thinking about trauma therapy versus traditional talk therapy, it can helpful to frame it in this way: when you visit your primary care provider, they use a different approach than if you were preparing for surgery; the goal is the same (to heal), but the intensity, preparation, and focus of the provider is different - and for good reason!
The urgency or severity of your symptoms determine which path of treatment makes the most sense, not a one-size-fits-most approach.
