At Joyful Living Behavioral Health in Eugene, Oregon, we understand the profound impact that trauma can have on individuals, couples, and families. Trauma comes in many forms, from car accidents to the sudden loss of a loved one, and its effects can linger, causing emotional pain and distress long after the event has passed. That’s why we’re here to offer trauma therapy services tailored to your unique needs.
How Trauma Impacts the Brain
Trauma can deeply affect the brain, changing how a person feels, thinks, and acts. For instance:
- Fear goes into overdrive – When you experience trauma, the part of your brain that handles fear, called the amygdala, goes into overdrive, making you feel anxious or scared.
- It’s harder to think clearly – At the same time, the part of your brain that helps you stay calm and make decisions, the prefrontal cortex, doesn’t work as well, making it difficult to think clearly.
- Confusion occurs – Another part, the hippocampus, which manages your memories, can shrink or stop working properly. This leads to confusion about what happened and when.
These changes can make you feel stuck in the past or like you’re constantly on edge. They can also bring up negative thoughts and emotions that make daily life and relationships more difficult. You may even begin to avoid situations that remind you of the trauma.
At Joyful Living in Eugene, our therapists understand how trauma affects your brain and life. We will work with you to create a personalized trauma therapy plan, helping you work through challenges and supporting your healing every step of the way.
Understanding Trauma Symptoms
Trauma can manifest in various ways. Some of the most common indicators include:
- Avoidance symptoms – Individuals may go out of their way to avoid reminders of the traumatic event, such as specific people, places, or situations. This can interfere with daily life and relationships, as it often limits one’s ability to fully engage in the world around them.
- Dissociation – Dissociation involves feeling disconnected from one’s thoughts, feelings, or surroundings. People may experience memory gaps, a sense of detachment from reality, or feel as though they are watching their life from outside their body.
- Re-experiencing symptoms – These symptoms include flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, or nightmares that cause the individual to relive the traumatic event. Re-experiencing can feel overwhelming and often leads to increased anxiety and emotional distress.
- Hyperarousal symptoms – Hyperarousal refers to a heightened state of alertness that can make it difficult to relax or feel safe. Individuals may experience irritability, insomnia, a constant sense of being “on edge,” or an exaggerated startle response.
- Negative moods – Trauma often leads to persistent negative emotions such as guilt, shame, sadness, or hopelessness. These feelings can affect self-esteem and contribute to emotional numbness or difficulty experiencing positive emotions.
These symptoms can disrupt daily life, relationships, and overall well-being. The good news? With help from our compassionate trauma therapists, you can navigate through each one and get on a path toward healing and resilience.
How Trauma Therapy Can Help
Research has shown that psychotherapy, particularly Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), are highly effective in treating trauma. CBT helps you identify and reframe unhelpful thoughts tied to traumatic experiences, while EMDR allows the brain to reprocess distressing memories in a safe and structured way.
Beyond EMDR and CBT, trauma therapy can include techniques like somatic therapy if you’d like to focus on specific symptoms such as flashbacks, anxiety, or emotional numbness. Whatever your specific needs and situation, our experienced therapists will use evidence-based approaches to address the root causes of trauma, equip you with coping strategies, and foster healing and growth.
Benefits of Our Trauma Therapy Services
Personalized trauma therapy from Joyful Living in Eugene offers numerous benefits. Unlike generalized approaches, personalized therapy considers the specific nature of the trauma, your level of emotional resilience, and your coping mechanisms to create a treatment plan that feels both safe and effective. This approach helps to:
- Build more trust between you and your therapist – A personalized approach allows for a stronger therapeutic relationship, making it easier to open up and explore difficult emotions.
- Foster a sense of security and empowerment – Feeling heard and understood creates a safe space where you can reclaim your sense of control and autonomy.
- Promote deeper healing – Targeted techniques are more effective in addressing the root causes of trauma, allowing for lasting emotional recovery.
- Reduce the risk of re-traumatization – By tailoring the pace and method of trauma therapy, we ensure you’re never pushed beyond what feels manageable and safe.
- Equip you with customized coping strategies to rebuild your life with confidence – You’ll gain tools specifically suited to your triggers and experiences, helping you feel more capable in everyday life.
Get Started With Trauma Therapy in Eugene
At Joyful Living in Eugene, OR, we provide a safe and supportive environment where you can explore your emotions, thoughts, and experiences without judgment. Our goal is to help you cultivate self-awareness, resilience, and inner strength as you work towards reclaiming your joy and living a fulfilling life.
If you or someone you love is struggling with the effects of trauma, we’re here to help through trauma therapy. Contact Joyful Living Behavioral Health for a free consultation.