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.

Trauma doesn't just affect your memories—it can change how you think, feel, relate to others, and experience your body. You may notice that:

• You struggle with shame or believe you are "not enough."
• You blame yourself for what happened or wonder if it was your fault.
• You feel hopeless or disconnected from the future.
• You find it difficult to trust others or feel emotionally safe.
• You become stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown responses when reminded of past experiences.
• You remain constantly alert, expecting something bad to happen.
• You stay in unhealthy relationships because leaving feels frightening or impossible.
• You question whether your experiences "count" as trauma or minimize what you've been through.

• Feeling anxious, on edge, or constantly waiting for something bad to happen.
• Going through each day in survival mode rather than truly living.
• Struggling to express your needs because you've learned they weren't safe or important.
• Fearing rejection, abandonment, or believing others will leave if they know the "real" you.
• Experiencing difficulties with intimacy, sexuality, or close relationships.
• Using alcohol, drugs, work, food, or other behaviors to cope with emotional pain.
• Living with chronic pain, unexplained physical symptoms, or ongoing nervous system dysregulation.
• Grieving the loss of a loved one, relationship, career, health, or the life you thought you would have.

If any of these resonate with you, please know that you are not alone. These responses are common after overwhelming or traumatic experiences—and they can heal. With compassionate, trauma-informed therapy, it is possible to feel safer in your body, build healthier relationships, and reconnect with yourself.

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.

Trauma Experiences We Help Treat

We work with individuals who have experienced:

Childhood & Developmental Trauma

• Developmental Trauma
• Childhood Abuse & Neglect
• Attachment Trauma
• Intergenerational Trauma

Interpersonal Trauma

• Sexual Abuse & Sexual Assault
• Emotional Abuse
• Physical Abuse
• Domestic Violence & Intimate Partner Violence
• Betrayal Trauma

PTSD & Major Life Events

• PTSD & Complex PTSD (C-PTSD)
• Combat Trauma & Military Sexual Trauma (MST)
• Medical Trauma
• Motor Vehicle Accidents
• Crime Victimization
• Natural & Human-Caused Disasters

Other Traumatic Experiences

• Bullying (School, Workplace, or Online)
• Religious Trauma
• Vicarious Trauma (Helping Professionals)
• Racial or Identity-Based Trauma
• Birth & Perinatal Trauma
• Traumatic Grief & Loss

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.