No one expects life to be sunshine and roses, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we’re ready for those inevitable bumps in the road. Those bumps are even harder to overcome when they turn out to be knee deep potholes that leave us with emotional bumps and bruises. While we often find solace turning to our friends and family, there are certain types of events that people tend to shy away from sharing. The events that turn our lives upside down, that shake the long-held beliefs we had about justice and safety, and leave us feeling lost and alone. The word for this event is trauma.

What is Trauma?

Trauma is defined as a single event or series of events that overwhelm a person’s natural capacity to cope. Types of trauma vary and include, but are not limited to:

·        Sexual and/or physical abuse

·        Surviving a natural disaster

·        Severe emotional or physical neglect during childhood

·        Witnessing death

·        Witnessing frequent violence

The common thread in these events are that they each present a significant threat to our ongoing survival. Unaddressed trauma often develops into mental health issues such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). According to the National Center for PTSD, 7-8 out of every 100 people in the U.S. will develop PTSD at some point in their lives with about a walloping 8 million adults meeting diagnostic criteria in a given year. PTSD is challenging in that the symptoms cause distress (e.g. hypervigilance, anxiety, sadness, intrusive thoughts) but are also an attempt to keep us safe. No one wants to look over their shoulders 24/7 but doing so provides a false sense of safety that if we’re always on the lookout we will never be hurt again.

How Therapy Helps

This is where counseling comes in. A trauma-informed mental health counselor can help educate and empower individuals to learn to live healthier lives without the shadow of trauma. Clients at District Counseling will actively collaborate with clinicians like myself to explore, identify, and target the symptoms and causes of trauma.

Written By: Jorge L. Mendoza, M.Ed., LPC