Trauma Therapy in North Richland Hills, TX
How do I know if I need therapy for trauma or have experienced trauma?
You may believe that trauma can be caused by catastrophic events such as sexual assault, natural disasters, unexpected car accidents, sudden death, war and gun violence, and other highly distressing events. This is true! But for some of us, the experience of trauma is far more elusive to define than simply, “I was traumatized by this event.” It is not uncommon when an individual experiences a traumatic event, to not classify what happened to them as traumatic. Many victims of traumatic circumstances struggle to put their experiences into words. Linguists and narrative therapists agree: when we have the language for our experiences, we are better able to process and make meaning from them. Our therapists at Luxx Therapy are experts at helping clients define their experiences in terms that empower them to begin the healing process.
Changing the Way You Engage in Your Own Life
A common way trauma can manifest is by changing the way you are able to engage in your own life. If you find yourself feeling stuck, revisiting difficult moments from your past while you’re awake or dreaming, feeling fatigued, easily triggered, or confused about your emotional reactions, one of our trauma therapists can sit down with you and help you explore your concerns. Trauma can be caused by stimuli so distressing that our minds and bodies may dissociate, and we are unable to process what is happening to us. This may be why your memory of the event is foggy, or why you may feel confused about your feelings. Dissociation is only one way of experiencing trauma. You may experience trauma as shame: “I don’t deserve good things” “I will never reach my goals” or “No matter how hard I try; I can’t seem to outrun my shadow”. These types of statements indicate that something has thwarted your natural ability to achieve your highest potential. The effects of trauma may be the barrier.
Change the Way You Think About Your Experience
Cognitive-focused trauma therapies such as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy both focus on how trauma changes the way we think about the experience itself, along with how we view ourselves, other people, and the world. Through a collaborative process, you’ll learn more about how to understand your experience, and skills to reevaluate those changed thoughts to help recover from the impacts of trauma, along with skills to deal with related life stressors. CPT and other trauma-focused CBT strategies also have a strong evidence base in treating PTSD symptoms. EMDR is a highly researched and evidence-based modality for the treatment of PTSD. We use EMDR to help individuals reprocess traumatic memories that are locked in the brain and body. Much like the processing we do during REM sleep, EMDR can help individuals decrease trauma responses and feel better quickly.
Safety is the Guiding Principle in Trauma Therapy
Regardless of the modality used, safety is the guiding principle in the work of all of our trauma therapists during Trauma Therapy. We do this by connecting with you in a genuine way. This could look like allowing you to lead the conversation, answering questions you have about your therapist, or sitting on the floor. You are in charge of the healing environment. Through the intentional creation of safety in session, we can explore maladaptive coping strategies such as self-harm, substance use, or suppressing emotions, and move into a feeling of safety and empowerment that will outlast the hour spent in session. We want you to reclaim ownership of your life story. And we know we can help you do that.
What will Trauma Therapy look like for me?
Most people do their very best to move forward after experiencing a traumatic event but often have thoughts that can complicate the healing process. Beliefs like “I just need to get over it” or “I just need to forget what happened” seem like a good idea, but frequently cause us to get stuck in moving forward, and can lead to more shame when the struggle continues.
Trauma Therapy is a Collaborative Environment
When working with our therapists during Trauma Therapy, you will experience a collaborative environment in which you are in control of the speed and manner in which we explore your trauma. We actively work to reduce guilt and shame and understand the individualized impacts of trauma on your life. Our therapists utilize at least one of the following modalities when working with trauma: Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Get Started with Trauma Therapy in North Richland Hills, TX Today and Find Your Light!
At Luxx Therapy, we understand that making that first step in reaching out is a difficult one. Here is what you can expect when you call or email us: You will be met with a member of our administrative team. Each member of our administrative team is also a therapist, which means you will experience empathy and compassion during your experience from the first time you reach out, to the last time you connect with us. We will ask you a few general questions about what you are wanting to be seen for in order to best connect you with the trauma therapist we believe would help you the most. We encourage you to look at our website to read the biographies of our therapists. We want you to have control over your experience from the very beginning. Follow the steps below to get started on your healing journey.
Get to know our skilled team of therapists here.
Fill out our convenient online contact form here.
Rediscover purpose and meaning in your life.
Other Mental Health Services Available at Luxx Therapy
In addition to Trauma Therapy, we offer a wide range of services at Luxx Therapy geared towards meeting you where you are in your mental health journey. We will walk the path to understanding and healing with you whether you are in need of Individual Counseling, Couples Counseling, or Family Therapy! Reach out to us today.
If reaching out doesn’t feel possible at this time, we want to leave you with a few resources that might be helpful: What Happened To You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Oprah Winfrey and Bruce Perry M.D., It Didn’t Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn, or The Body Keeps The Score by Bessel van der Kolk.