Trauma Treatment 

The mind is constantly seeking an area of focus via enticing topics, preferred areas of rumination, “favorite” worries, etc. - the flavor of which is influenced by whether we are in survival mode based on our nervous system’s perception of the current situation or if we are in a more balanced, neutral state of being. Mind you, the nervous system is operating on a platform that was installed, some say, 300-400 million years ago and not at all designed for these times, so there is plenty of room for misinterpretation, especially if we have experienced trauma.

The underlying dysregulation of trauma can be subtle. For example, if we do not realize that we are physiologically activated when interacting with a particular individual in our life, our brain and, subsequently, our behavior are highjacked. If we are unaware when our system is defense-orienting to determine the best approach for survival, it is likely that the body will do everything it can to “save our life” regardless of social norms or our own value system.

As we begin to attune to the state of our nervous system, we begin to increase our ability to respond as opposed to react. By learning how to recognize then regulate ourselves when we are stuck in patterns of fight, flight, fawn, and/or freeze, we can begin to restore ourselves and increase our resilience across contexts. Supporting the body to release held patterns of trauma activation, we can start to feel “whole” again and expand our capacity for regulation across contexts.