Trauma takes different forms. It can be an obviously horrible event that is clearly devastating. Or it can be smaller moments that are not as obvious but that live in the body and your emotions. Hidden trauma comes out at times where you don’t expect it, like when you are having a disagreement with your partner, hear a certain song, or are in a certain place.

It’s unsettling that way, that these feelings are still somewhere invisible hanging around when you probably did everything to get away from certain past events or people. When you are re-experiencing certain things with your partner, you get re-activated and tend to go to the same coping mechanisms that were the best way to protect you a long time ago. But now, you use them with your partner or family, or even your best friend. Worse still, you can end up feeling alone, not able to connect deeply with anyone because you continue to subtly protect yourself.

There are many ways to address this. You are not sentenced to feel this way forever. We understand that it is very hard to access these ‘split-off’, wounded, hurting parts by yourself. That is why a warm, knowledgable, safe presence is invaluable to walking that journey with you. First off, you need to feel safe and trust your therapist. Your therapist must be warm, kind, knowledgable, and sincere. Once you have established a trusting relationship, we help you to discover those lost parts of you that are still living in your body.

We use EFIT, EMDR, and AEDP for that work. Slowing you down and dropping into your body and its emotions, accompanying you on those journeys to difficult feelings so that the adult, resourced, strong parts of you can nurture and reassure the younger, more hurt parts. Your therapist accompanies you on that journey, holding your hand metaphorically, and encouraging you every step of the way, creating safety and togetherness so that you are not alone. So that you feel a competent and safe presence by your side.

This work is meant ultimately to be freeing. Helping you to become limitless in a newfound sense of joy and adventure in the world. To free up the energy that has been locked away in keeping those hurt parts at bay. The goal is to release that energy so that you can be freer to be more creative in your life, more in control of your emotions, and more able to connect with those you love.