Holistic Trauma Therapy
The events and circumstances that can traumatize us are very diverse, such as accidents, physical, sexual or psychological violence, medical interventions, serious diagnoses or illnesses or natural disasters. However, often it is seemingly everyday, unnoticed and “quieter” events that are traumatizing for us – especially as we were children – such as medical examinations and interventions or seemingly harmless falls. Such experiences in childhood (as well as, for instance, early separations, losses or hospital stays) can manifest themselves in us adults in the form of anxiety or panic attacks, depressive states or a general high level of arousal.
Many people also repeated or chronic traumatization, such as physical, sexual and/or psychological violence or neglect in childhood; these chronic traumatizations mostly lead to various, complex consequences. Experiences of sexual violence are often not remembered for many years or even decades and only come to mind after triggered by a certain event or at a particular stage of life. Memory it has a confusing and shattering effect and turns one’s life upside down.
Traumatic experiences are usually very severe and often mean a turning point that divides our lives into a before and an after. They shake us, push us to the limits of our resilience and can cause a wide range of symptoms, such as
- restlessness, inner tension
- eeduced ability to concentrate and remember
- anxiety and panic attacks
- depression
- nightmares, flashbacks
- dissociations, such as feeling numb or not being in ones own body
These symptoms are normal consequences of a non-everyday event or circumstance and an expression of our self-regulation. And they are curable.
In the course of trauma therapy, we explore various exercises that enable you to counteract and alleviate your symptoms. With the help of trauma-specific methods, such as EMDR, we can process your traumatic experiences.
In this way, what you have experienced gradually loses its severity, its consequences diminish or dissolve and you can feel complete again and live self-determined.
Step by Step – The Stages of Trauma Therapy
First meeting
In an initial meeting, we will discuss your concerns, wishes and goals, and I will describe how I could accompany and support you and which treatment steps and methods would be useful. I will tell you more about my therapeutic approach and the framework conditions. And we will clarify whether we want to and can work together; the decisive criterion here is that you feel safe with me and can trust me – because this is the prerequisite for successful trauma therapy.
Usually, in the first meeting there will already be some time to explore your resources. I will also give you one or two suggestions or empowering exercises as a take away that will support you.
Stabilization and Empowerment
The first step in our work together is to address your psychological stability. We start by exploring and expanding your resources, i.e. everything that is good for you, gives you a feeling of safety, brings you joy, gives you strength or helps you clear your head or reduce tension or rage. These resources form an essential counterbalance to stressful experiences, memories, feelings and physical conditions.
We will also explore various ways in which you can counteract your symptoms and cushion or alleviate them. Depending on your needs, I will suggest some exercises, e.g. strengthening inner images and breathing or physical exercises.
Often, for example, it is about finding ways to help you deal better with flash-backs or strong, uncontrollable feelings.
Over time, stabilization enables you to feel more stable and secure again, to regain control over yourself and to live self-determined. In this way, you will gradually regain quality of life.
Processing traumatizing experiences
When you are sufficiently stable (again) and feel ready, we can process your traumatizing experiences using trauma-specific techniques such as EMDR or Somatic Experiencing.
Depending on the type and duration or frequency of your experiences, this may only require a few sessions or a series of sessions. In the case of repeated and complex traumatization, a large number of sessions are usually required; however, each individual session resolves a bit of your traumatic experience – sometimes a small one, sometimes a larger one – helps to alleviate its effects and relieves you to some extent.
Integration
Bit by bit, you will be able to process what you have experienced, gain new experiences and insights and integrate them into your life.
There is room for everything
In our joint work there is room for everything that is close to your heart; even spiritual experiences, questions and topics.