Trauma Therapy in South Tampa
You feel anxious, sad and hopeless
You feel "on edge" almost all the time. The slightest thing seems to set you off and you've become irritated at everything. You feel like something is wrong with you. No matter what happened to you, you didn't deserve it and it isn't your fault. Sometimes bad things just happen to us, but you can feel better and find happiness in your life.
What is trauma?Trauma is a normal emotional response to a terrible event. Trauma can be caused by a number of events such as:
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What is PTSD and do I have it?
PTSD stands for Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and can be a serious debilitating condition. It is a clinical diagnosis that involves having multiple symptoms including flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive memories, avoidance of people or situations, trouble concentrating, and trouble sleeping. To be diagnosed with PTSD you need an evaluation from a mental health professional such as a therapist or psychiatrist. Other symptoms of trauma can include: physical symptoms such as headache, nausea, muscle aches and tension, hypertension, and ulcers, increased anxiety, depression and/or anger, feeling emotionally numb or not like yourself, easily startled and/or jumpy, and feeling hopeless and/or cynical. Even if you don't meet the strict criteria for PTSD, trauma therapy can help you heal and reduce your symptoms.
How to heal from traumaI use a therapy called Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART). ART is similar to other therapies, like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), but is shown to achieve benefits much more rapidly (usually within 1-5 sessions). Clients can experience remarkable benefits starting in the first session. Most importantly, clients do not have to talk in detail about their traumas or difficult life experiences to achieve recovery. To learn more about ART and how it works, go to my page on ART. I also use a therapy called Internal Family Systems (IFS) that works well for complex trauma such as childhood traumas and relational trauma.
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Trauma resources
- National Center for PTSD - Information on post-traumatic stress disorder
- The Spring of Tampa Bay - Domestic violence resource
- National Alliance on Mental Illness: Coping with Traumatic Events - Information on coping
- Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence--From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror - Book on trauma recovery
- Self-Guided Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction - Self-guided course on learning mindfulness
- Therapeutic resources and retreats for Military Veterans - Brian Bill Foundation and Veterans Alternative
"Trauma creates change you don't choose.
Healing is about creating change you do choose."
Michelle Rosenthal
Healing is about creating change you do choose."
Michelle Rosenthal