Trauma Therapy

How can therapy heal the brain from trauma?

Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger), and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). While in some cases traumatic experiences may be managed and resolved spontaneously, in most cases, healing from past hurts requires help.

Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. In most cases, it is helpful to have our body alert us to potential threats by activating this alarm system, which prepares us to defend or protect ourselves.  When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create an overwhelming feeling of being stuck, or “frozen in time.” Both Lifespan Integration Therapy and EMDR Therapy help the brain process these memories, and allow for normal healing to resume. Although the experience isn’t forgotten, the feelings around the event can be neutralized and the fight, flight, or freeze response from the original event is resolved.

Who can benefit from trauma focused therapy?

EMDR and Lifespan Integration therapies help children and adults of all ages. Therapists at Desert Consulting utilize various trauma focused modalities to address a wide range of challenges such as:

• • • Anxiety, panic attacks, and phobias
    • Chronic Illness and medical issues
    • Depression and bipolar disorders
    • Dissociative disorders
    • Eating disorders
    • Grief and loss
    • Pain
    • Performance anxiety
    • PTSD and other trauma and stress-related issues
    • Sexual assault
    • Sleep disturbance
    • Substance abuse and addiction
    • Violence and abuse

If you aren’t sure if trauma therapy is for you, or you are unsure of what type of therapy might be the best fit for what you are dealing with, reach out to us for a free consultation to discuss how best we can help you.