What is Trauma?

Trauma can come from a single event, but it can also build over time through experiences that taught you to stay alert, keep the peace, be responsible, or hold yourself to impossibly high standards.

You may have learned early that being capable was the safest way to navigate the world, so you became the person who could handle anything and didn’t need help. You may have built a successful life around those strengths, only to realize that some of the patterns that helped you get here are now leaving you exhausted or disconnected.

In trauma therapy, we’ll help you reconnect to your body, process past hurts, and rebuild your confidence and self-trust.

You don't have to stop being capable or ambitious. Therapy helps you learn how to use those strengths without sacrificing your well-being.

Symptoms of Trauma:

  1. Emotional Symptoms: Persistent feelings of sadness, anxiety, anger, or numbness. Difficulties in regulating emotions and experiencing mood swings.

  2. Cognitive Symptoms: Trouble concentrating, memory issues, or intrusive thoughts related to the traumatic event. Distorted beliefs about themselves or the world. i.e “I am not good enough.” “I have to please everyone to be loved.” “I can’t trust anyone.”

  3. Behavioral Symptoms: Avoidant behaviors, withdrawal from social activities, hypervigilance or heightened startle responses, or engaging in self-destructive behaviors.

  4. Physical Symptoms: Chronic pain, fatigue, irregular sleep patterns, or unexplained medical conditions.

Understanding trauma and its various forms is crucial for effective healing and support. At KL Therapy, we offer a compassionate and informed approach to address the effects of trauma, helping you navigate your path to recovery and well-being.

Types of trauma we treat

  1. PTSD

  2. Relationship Trauma

  3. Complex Trauma

  4. Sexual Trauma

  5. Generational Trauma

  6. Work Trauma

  7. Medical Trauma

  8. Birth Trauma

  9. Traumatic Grief

  10. Religious Trauma

trauma informed care

Trauma-informed care acknowledges the impact of trauma on individuals. It emphasizes creating a safe, supportive, and empowering environment for individuals who have experienced trauma.

Core Principles of Trauma-Informed Care

  1. Safety: Ensuring that the environment, both physical and emotional, is safe for individuals. This includes fostering a sense of trust and security, where clients feel respected and protected.

  2. Trustworthiness and Transparency: Building and maintaining trust by being clear about the processes and decisions involved in therapy. Transparency helps clients feel informed and involved in their own care.

  3. Empowerment and Choice: Recognizing and supporting the client’s autonomy and decision-making abilities. Empowering clients involves providing them with choices and respecting their preferences and needs.

  4. Collaboration: Encouraging collaboration between therapists and clients. This principle emphasizes the importance of working together to address trauma and acknowledging the strength of shared experiences.

  5. Cultural, Historical, and Gender Sensitivity: Understanding and respecting the diverse cultural, historical, and gender-related contexts that influence an individual’s experience of trauma.

  6. Understanding Trauma and Its Impact: Recognizing that trauma affects individuals differently and can have a profound impact on their mental, emotional, and physical health. Trauma-informed care involves an awareness of these effects and a commitment to addressing them with sensitivity and compassion.