Trauma Therapy in Chicago

Trauma Is Pervasive And Caused By Many Factors

Most of us have experienced or witnessed trauma at one time or another. According to a study conducted in 2013, “89.7 percent of people surveyed in the United States have experienced some type of traumatic event (1).” And despite popular belief, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is actually more common in women than in men (2).

Trauma is sometimes split into two categories—"Big T" and "little t." Examples of Big T trauma could be repeated instances of physical and emotional abuse inflicted by our caregivers, sexual assault, car accidents, or any situation where we believe our life may be in immediate danger. Little t trauma is more subtle and difficult to detect. It often occurs in situations we perceived as completely normal growing up, like having an absent parent or being told that we should be happy all the time.

Systemic Oppression And Sexism Contribute To Collective Trauma

For women, living in a patriarchal society takes a toll on us. We are subjected to more trauma than men in the form of sexual violence, physical and verbal abuse, discrimination, and harassment. Sadly, the pain we experience is often at the hands of trusted caregivers or romantic partners, robbing us of our sense of safety.

With little t trauma, we may not recognize what we experienced as traumatic. Rather than seek help, we tend to minimize what happened to us or, by comparing it to Big T trauma, try to downplay its impact.

It can be difficult to heal from trauma on your own, especially if the pain you endured was caused by a loved one. Luckily, a trauma-informed therapist has the knowledge and skillset to help you recover with sensitivity and compassion. In trauma therapy, you can address PTSD stemming from Big T trauma—like childhood neglect, abuse, or sexual assault—as well as harder to identify little t trauma.

Trauma Therapy Can Be A Road Back To The Person You Want To Be

When you begin trauma therapy, you may have specific goals in mind. Perhaps you hope that with treatment, you can heal from underlying trauma or PTSD, enabling you to cultivate healthier, more loving relationships. Maybe you want to learn how to keep your emotions in balance and not be so easily triggered all the time. Or you might hope that counseling will help restore your sense of safety so can you sleep better at night and feel more comfortable meeting new people.

Working together with your trauma therapist in Chicago, you can address whatever symptoms of trauma or PTSD you are experiencing. We will take things slowly at first. Once a sense of safety is established between you and you feel comfortable sharing what’s on your mind, your counselor can help you expand that same sense of safety into your world outside of trauma therapy.

What To Expect In Trauma Therapy Sessions

Trauma therapy is tailored to your specific needs. You may find it beneficial to discuss the details of your trauma to lessen its hold on your day-to-day life. Or perhaps you’d prefer not to explore the specifics of your trauma in therapy right away. In this instance, we can focus on improving your well-being and emotional wellness by modifying behaviors and habits that may contribute to your distress. No matter what path you choose, your trauma therapist can offer you effective tools that will help you move beyond trauma to a place of healing and health.

Having an understanding of how trauma affects you, both physically and emotionally, is an important component of counseling. By providing you with psychoeducation that explains how the nervous system is impacted by trauma, you will gain an understanding of what the best treatment options for you will be.

We Offer A Variety Of Modalities For Trauma Counseling

By utilizing an array of evidence-based therapies for trauma, we aim to pair you with treatment that resonates with you. With Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), you can process traumatic memories that still carry an emotional charge. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation techniques that mimic the rapid eye movement phase of sleep. This gentle form of trauma therapy helps reprocess memories that may have become stuck in the memory center of your brain, allowing them to lose their intensity.

Similar to EMDR, Brainspotting is a trauma treatment tool that allows you to identify and process traumatic memories. These memories can often be stored in non-verbal areas of the brain. In Brainspotting, the therapist helps to identify an eye position that correlates to a traumatic memory. Once located, maintained eye fixation allows the client to process and release the trauma. Brainspotting offers an opportunity to unburden from trauma non-verbally.

We also offer cognitive processing therapy (CPT) for trauma treatment.  CPT is a subset of cognitive behavioral therapy designed specifically to address traumatic experiences.  This approach will help you look at how your thoughts have been impacted by trauma and teaches you a new way to work through these upsetting thoughts.  It is a short term approach that typically lasts for 12 sessions.