We will all experience a traumatic event in our lives one day. This can be either a “big T” trauma, which is a life-threatening or catastrophic event that can cause immediate and severe psychological distress, such as natural disasters, violent crimes, serious car accidents, school shootings, the death of a parent, war, or chronic ongoing abuse. Alternatively, there is a “little t” trauma, which is a distressing event that may not be life-threatening but can still lead to significant psychological distress, such as the death of a pet, losing a job, experiencing breakups, being bullied at school, at work, or home, ongoing developmental abuse, divorce, postpartum depression, chronic feelings of inadequacy, being rejected by someone, and childhood emotional neglect. When multiple little t traumas accumulate, their cumulative effects can be as damaging as a single big T trauma.

Ultimately, trauma is any event or series of events that are life-threatening or cause psychological distress, fear, and a sense of helplessness. Such events can have a lasting adverse effect on an individual’s mental, emotional, physical, social, and/or spiritual well-being.

Below is a list of mental health and substance use diagnoses that can develop after an individual experiences a traumatic event:

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) / Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
• Anxiety Disorders
• Mood Disorders
• Substance Use Disorders
• Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)
• Disinhibited Social Engagement Disorder (DSED)
• Adjustment Disorder
• Prolonged Grief Disorder
• Acute Stress Disorder
• Eating Disorders
• Dissociative Disorders
• Personality Disorders
• Unspecified Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorder
• Sleep Disorders
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• And more …

However, not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will suffer from its effects. Some might experience them briefly and recover, while others may experience delayed effects over time because of resilience factors. Resilient individuals often have access to a support system, practice healthy coping skills, learn to regulate their emotions, reach out to professionals for support, exercise self-control, feel a sense of purpose, and maintain a positive outlook. All these factors can help them heal from their traumatic experiences.

Trauma can be overwhelming to experience and even terrifying to confront alone, especially if you do not have a positive support system to help you along the journey of healing.

• You might feel broken, not good enough, unlovable, or as though you deserve bad things to happen.
• You may blame yourself for your trauma, feel a lack of belonging, or experience feelings of powerlessness and shame because of what you have been through.
• You may have a negative outlook toward yourself, others, and life and do not see the point of living anymore.
• You might fear that everyone will hurt you, just as someone did in the past.
• You may tend to go into a fight, flight, or freeze state (or even dissociate) when you are reminded of your trauma.
• You might be hypervigilant when you go out, expecting something bad to happen to you or your loved ones.
• You may still be experiencing trauma if you are in an unhealthy relationship but feel unable to end it for different reasons.
• You might struggle to figure out whether you have experienced trauma or may not want to label it as trauma or abuse.
• You might have disturbed sleep or nightmares.
• You might find it hard to relax your body or even experience any positive emotions.
• You might feel disconnected from your body.
• You might not feel safe living in the world, which could lead to withdrawing from your experiences.

• You might have chronic anxiety and fear.
• You might be “coping” just to survive each day.
• You might hesitate to express your needs because they were ignored in the past.
• You might be afraid of rejection or abandonment, believing that if you reveal your true feelings, people will stop loving you or try to dominate you.
• You might feel that vulnerability is intolerable.
• You might feel emotions are a sign of weakness, causing you to suppress them.
• You might feel there’s something fundamentally flawed within you.
• You might be terrified of your sexuality or have a fluctuating interest in sex, which impacts your relationship with your partner.
• You might use alcohol or drugs to cope.
• You might feel trapped in intimate relationships.
• You might live with chronic pain every day.
• You might be grieving the loss of a loved one, a pet, a relationship, or a job, or you might be experiencing anticipatory grief.

If you relate to one or more of the above statements, please know you are not alone. Many people share lived experiences.

Our trauma specialists at the Center for Embodied Resilience & Wellness, PLLC, can help you! We are an LGBTQIA+ inclusive, trauma-informed, and neurodivergent-affirming team with years of experience and specialized training in trauma-informed modalities. We utilize both top-down and bottom-up approaches with children, teenagers, and adults. With our diverse team of trauma specialists, we can treat clients who have experienced trauma and have more than one mental health and/or substance use diagnosis (comorbidity). If we cannot assist, we can help by providing referrals within the community.

Types of Traumas We Work With

• Developmental Trauma
• Sexual Trauma / Assault
• Psychological / Emotional Abuse
• Physical Abuse
• Childhood Trauma / Abuse / Neglect
• Interpersonal Trauma / Domestic Violence
• PTSD / Complex PTSD
• School Bullying
• Combat Trauma / Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
• Vicarious Trauma
• Crime
• Motor Vehicle Accidents
• Man-Made / Natural Disasters
• Medical Trauma
• Religious Trauma
• Intergenerational Trauma
• Birth / Prenatal Trauma
• Traumatic Grief
• Community Violence
• Shock Trauma
• Race-Based Trauma
• Witnessing Trauma
• And more …

We offer holistic wellness services, such as yoga, to help clients with trauma histories improve their body awareness, decrease physiological arousal, and stay more in the present rather than staying stuck in the past or future.

We also offer compassionate and personalized approaches to meet clients’ unique needs. We prioritize confidentiality and privacy, collaborate with clients throughout treatment, and provide culturally-informed care. From our first client interactions, we focus on building trust by offering a safe and inclusive space. We offer both in-person and telehealth services.

We develop individualized treatment plans aimed at overcoming mental, emotional, and behavioral barriers. Our trauma-informed modalities are specific to each client, empowering them to start living the life they want to live. We teach different coping techniques to stay in the present moment and deal with the effects of trauma. One of our main goals is to help clients embrace or accept all parts of themselves, even those they perceive as “dysfunctional” or “unhelpful.” We also work hard to understand all areas of our clients.

We believe that our clients may experience a sense of liberation and newfound strength on some days as they start working on reprocessing their trauma, while other days may present more challenges and may want to give up on themselves, others, or the treatment process. What’s important is that they have embarked on this journey to explore treatment and are cultivating the resilience needed to heal from their trauma. The body is seen as a vital part of the healing process because trauma is stored in the nervous system. Through embodied resilience, clients can regain control over their lives, restore their sense of self and agency, continue to heal and grow, develop an appreciation for life, foster positive relationships, and feel more confident, capable, or assertive. Ultimately, this leads to an improved quality of life and enhanced emotional regulation and coping skills.