Trauma Therapy in Grand Rapids, Michigan

What is Trauma Therapy?

What is trauma anyways?

Trauma is what happens when your brain has to either take in too much information at once or has to learn to cope with not having enough information for long periods of time. For many, trauma presents as anxiety, depression, relationship issues or constantly feeling overstimulated. Trauma can be born from a singular traumatic event, in which your brain is activated into “fight or flight” mode, fearing for its safety and survival; or from chronic exposure to environments and/or relationships in which your safety and basic needs are unmet or in jeopardy. Many will experience at least one traumatic event in our lives, and may have the support and resources to navigate and adjust to the effects of trauma. However, many struggle to reconnect with themselves and others following traumatic experiences.

Maybe you notice:

Your patience is thinner

Your confidence and mood are lower

Relationships seem more difficult

You feel constantly on edge.

These may all be signs that the trauma you’ve experienced is still stored in your brain and body, needing to be honored and processed.

What is PTSD and C-PTSD?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, often stems from a single traumatic event in which the brain struggles to process and understand the information coming in from the environment causing flashbacks, avoidance and hypervigilance.

Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or C-PTSD, is related to prolonged, repeated exposure to trauma, often associated with childhood abuse, neglect or captivity. C-PTSD includes all the symptoms of PTSD as well as issues with emotional regulation, self-worth and relationships.

Both PTSD and C-PTSD are frequently misdiagnosed as ADHD, mood disorders or personality disorders because of overlapping symptomology. As a result, many don’t know that they are struggling with PTSD/C-PTSD, leading to misinformed medication prescriptions, frustrating interactions with medical professionals and confusion in their relationships.

What does processing trauma look like?

One of the first steps in processing trauma can be to build a relationship with a trauma-informed therapist. Trauma happens in relation to others and therefore, must be healed in relation to others. Our trauma-informed therapists will walk alongside you at your pace, building trust and comfort along the way. We recognize that there is no “one size fits all” method for treating trauma, as each individual and set of experiences is different. Therefore, we work with you to create a plan that meets your unique needs and moves at your pace.

This may look like creating a safe and nonjudgmental space for you to share your experiences, help you identify their connections to the patterns you feel stuck in and understand what your primary triggering sources are. This knowledge can empower you to connect more with yourself and the needs you still have unmet. Our trauma-informed therapists will work with you to take action steps towards meeting these needs by utilizing mind/body connection techniques, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), grounding skills, inner child connection, and/or cognitive reprocessing.

Why process trauma?

Many survivors of trauma feel as though it is “easier” to try to forget their past experiences. You may feel like it is safer to avoid revisiting these memories and the emotions tied to them, maybe emotional numbness feels preferred to the powerful, difficult emotions that a traumatic event can elicit. Emotions such as fear and shame can be potent in relation to trauma and can lead to avoidance of processing and healing from our past experiences. We see you, and we want you to know that you deserve to heal. You are so much more than the traumas of your past and you do not have to navigate healing alone. With a trusted trauma-informed therapist, you can start to rebuild your relationship to and faith in yourself. Trauma treatment is not a magic wand, it cannot erase the painful experiences you’ve been through or the memories tied to them, but it can help you see that you and your life are not defined by them. Whether it’s building healthier attachments, more coping skills, or new ways of thinking, trauma treatment is individualized to support you in what healing looks like for you.

Why choose Inner Body Works for Trauma Therapy?

Our trauma-informed therapists are dedicated to life-long learning in regard to trauma treatment. We are able to support you using a variety of evidenced-based trauma treatment modalities such as EMDR and CBT, as well as draw from knowledge and experience regarding mind/body connection to help you heal. Ultimately, we see that the greatest tool in healing from trauma is building a trusting relationship with a trauma-informed therapist. Therefore, we will always prioritize and honor your needs, goals and pace.

Additionally, our trauma-informed therapists recognize the role of generational trauma (the inherited impact trauma has throughout generations of a family), community as well as on cultural, systemic, and institutional levels. We recognize that trauma impacts each person differently due to the intersecting identities and experiences they hold. We honor this for each individual and are committed to naming and addressing the societal and cultural traumas experienced by many, integrating this into your individual healing journey.