Trauma as it applies to the mind and emotions concerns an experience that produces psychological pain or injury. It is often caused by a very stressful event that threatens our sense of security and makes us feel vulnerable to the possibility of a recurrence.
Trauma can also be the effect of relentless, ongoing stress such as that created by an environment, abuse or an illness. In some cases, it can result from frequent exposure to upsetting news and imagery, which can overwhelm the nervous system. Trauma can be particularly pronounced if it is experienced during childhood.
Eunoia Counseling provides Bolingbrook IL with individual, confidential trauma-informed therapy that offers healing, growth and understanding for those who seek caring support.
Trauma-Informed Therapy for Bolingbrook IL
Our response to trauma can make our built-in safety mechanisms shift into overdrive. This can affect us in many different ways. Symptoms of trauma can include:
- guilt
- shame
- sadness
- fear
- confusion
- anger
- denial
- addiction
- numbness
- hopelessness
- painful flashbacks
- sleep disorders
Specific trauma-related conditions might be:
- PTSD
- depression
- anxiety
- ADHD
- eating disorder
- bodily disorder
- personality disorder
- disassociation
Trauma-informed therapy is a path toward understanding the struggles that a person might face because of what they have gone through at any point in their lives. At Eunoia Counseling, we approach healing from trauma by understanding that what matters the most is how you – not other people – feel about certain stressors or events.
Our trauma-informed care creates a safe space where you can gain greater insight into what might be affecting how you think, feel and act about certain things. Our trauma therapists understand the factors that influence stress on the mind, body and spirit. By getting to the root of what might be troubling you, we can help guide you toward a self-awareness that sets a foundation for clarity, peace and empowerment.
Trauma-Informed Therapy for Bolingbrook IL: Individual Counseling
Millions of people in the U.S. have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lives. Many may not even realize the effect of the trauma they went through on their daily lives. It is possible for us to struggle with personal obstacles and frustrations without knowing the cause might be hidden within us.
Our trauma therapists for Bolingbrook understand that effective counseling involves more than just listening to your story. It also requires having professional education and training, direct experience working with trauma survivors, and being able to work one-on-one with each person according to their circumstances.
Every individual is uniquely complex, and different variables can influence a specific person’s thoughts and responses. Trauma-informed therapy at Eunoia Counseling does not focus on what might be “wrong” with you. We seek to understand what may have happened to you, how it has affected you and how you can develop the skills that allow you to achieve greater peace of mind and quality of life.
Trauma-Informed Therapy: Polyvagal Theory
Our trauma-informed therapy for Bolingbrook can include principles of polyvagal theory, which centers on neuroscientific concepts of brain signals and activity.
Polyvagal theory puts forth that our bodies react in physiological and neurobiological ways to elevated stress, especially when it involves perceived danger or harm.
In these events, our body systems may react by freezing (think of the “fight or flight” response). The freezing need not be physical. Rather, when facing great stress we might be moving but our thoughts and emotions suspend and leave us feeling numb.
The goal of polyvagal theory in treating trauma is to decrease this freezing response by activating the vagal system and the vagus nerve, which runs from our brain to our stomach. By understanding the body’s reaction to stress and especially how the vagal system influences trauma symptoms, you can learn to activate it to prevent the “freezing” reaction.
Trauma-Informed Therapy: Bessel van der Kolk
Facets of our trauma-informed care are influenced by psychiatrist, researcher and post traumatic–stress expert Bessel van der Kolk. His teaching on trauma discusses the brain’s diligent work to suppress a traumatic event after it occurs. Such effort by the brain might include blaming the self or forgetting the trauma. This is particularly true if the victim feels that exposing the trauma could lead to rejection or alienation from others.
However, he points out, the body does not forget the trauma. It responds in ways such as “re-wiring” the brain’s alarm system and increasing stress hormones. In the process, the brain can begin to make irrelevant information relevant, creating even more difficulties for the trauma victim. The muscles store stress and do not release it. All the while, the mind cannot help the body because it has turned away from the trauma.
Our trauma therapists for Bolingbrook consider these and similar principles in exploring how trauma might be impacting a person both physically and psychologically.
Trauma-Informed Therapy for Bolingbrook IL: Contact Us Today
No one asks to be affected by trauma. It is simply something that can happen to people. What matters is knowing that there is a way to move forward. The trauma therapists at Eunoia Counseling support your desire to understand, to heal and especially to feel free in the present. To learn more about our trauma-informed therapy for Bolingbrook, contact us at (630) 340-8747 or info@eunoiacounselingnaperville.com
