Trauma Therapy in Charlotte, NC
Have you ever been surprised by your reactions? Does it at times feel like your emotions may be out of proportion to the situation? Do you feel overcome by fear, anxiety, a sense of dread or hypervigilance? It can feel frustrating when your feelings seem so overwhelming or off-kilter. Perhaps you struggle to trust others. Do you feel emotions or anxiety in your body and are not sure of why – a tightness in your shoulders or chest, shallow breathing, a knot in your stomach, increased heart rate or tension everywhere? These can be signs of underlying trauma. For some, trauma may be underneath addictive behavior, relationship struggles, depression or anxiety. It shows up to varying degrees and in a variety of ways.
You may be aware of the source of your reactions – knowing that it goes back to either a recent experience or childhood wounds. Trauma impacts us whether from an event, ongoing events or the dynamics of our upbringing. Childhood abuse, neglect (emotional or physical), emotionally immature parents, mental illness or addiction, poverty, bullying, and racism all leave their mark. If there is abuse of anyone in the family, it impacts the entire family system and is traumatic. Relational wounds of infidelity, addiction in the family, abandonment, abuse of any kind, if not dealt with, leaves it’s mark and can emerge in future relationships.
A Healing Journey with Trauma Therapy
Many feel that putting wounds behind them and moving on is the answer. However, putting them behind by burying them and trying to forget does not work in the long run. Stuffing down our pain is not sustainable. And often more trouble is created through the ways of burying the pain – addictions, workaholism, technology addiction, disconnection from self, others and God are some of the ways people cope and attempt to put pain behind them. The old adage, ‘the only way out is through’, I’d use double quotation marks for the adage, and the comma goes inside the quote has some truth to it. The wounds must be named, owned and healed. Some say, “I have forgiven the person and let it go,” but, again, unless fully walking through a healing journey, the impact of the trauma will surface in one way or another.
Others say that their own experience is not as bad as other peoples’ trauma, abuse or neglect. Or they may feel unworthy of time being taken to explore their story. Comparing can be a form of minimizing or denying the impact of the wounds. There may have been the unspoken rule of not sharing what happens in the family home. You may feel that counseling encourages blaming your parents, and that they provided for you and loved you. Trauma can occur from overt abuse or from well-intentioned families doing the best they could with what they knew. Therapy is not about blame or villainizing anyone. It is taking an honest look at your story and the impact of relationships, events and context has had on you – for the purpose of healing and moving forward in a healthy way. It is looking at both sides of the coin regarding the people and situations of your life. When you do this courageous work, you can be free of the unconscious motivations and reactions that may have plagued you. It can help you move to a place of true forgiveness and freedom. Again, this is not to blame or malign and make yourself out to be a perpetual victim. In looking at how you may have been a victim at one time or at the hands of someone meant to care for you, you are then able to shed the bonds of having been a victim.
Our Trauma Therapists Walk You Through the Healing Process
The journey of healing from trauma takes courage, yet it can be a rich journey of self-discovery and growth. At Bareiter Counseling Center, we have clinicians trained to walk with you through your healing process. Compassionately guiding you at your pace to name, own and heal from your wounds. Some clinicians have certification and training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) – an evidence-based model of therapy proven to help you move beyond awareness to healing and truth about you and your story. Others have training in addictive behavior which often coincides with early trauma. These clinicians have specific training in sex addiction, alcohol and drug addiction as well as the underlying trauma that is a part of addiction. Using a variety of approaches, you can become free of the wounds that may be unconsciously hijacking you and your potential for joy and peace. Whether you utilize individual, couples, group or family therapy, our clinicians have the experience and training to help you through your story and will work with you offering compassion and respect for your individual process and needs.
Trauma Therapy in Charlotte: Long-Lasting & Deeper Change
Bareiter Counseling Center focuses on depth-oriented therapy which creates long-lasting and deeper change as opposed to working on the surface or only offering symptom management. It would be our privilege to walk with you through a process of healing. Call our office or schedule with one of our trained clinicians to begin your walk towards freedom.
