Gentle Trauma Resolution
Relief and Healing from Trauma
If you are seeking to reduce and resolve the symptoms that often follow difficult or traumatic events, such as intrusive thoughts and memories, inability to stop thinking about the event, flashbacks, avoidance, or hypervigilance, I can help you find relief and heal from trauma.
Gentle Trauma Resolution
Sometimes, we know that we have gone through a lot, but we may not exactly remember what we have gone through. We may find ourselves getting triggered, but not know what trigged us. We may feel that we are not okay, and long for a different way.
If that resonates with you, then gentler trauma resolution tools may be supportive for you. They may offer you the insight, but also the internal feeling of healing and relief from trauma.
The tool I use most for gentle trauma resolution is IFS, which stands for internal family systems. This tool is based on the framework that we all have an imaginary family of characters that live inside of us (if you’ve ever seen the movie Inside Out, that is a very accurate depiction of IFS). We may have a part of us that doesn’t trust others, a part of us that is very critical, or a part of us that is very tired and just wants to experience relief. We work with all the parts :) People who have used IFS in our sessions together have routinely reported experiencing relief, and often those small moments begin to link together, creating a more solid chain of healing.
Under this framework, I won’t ask you to share the details of “what happened”, though you can if you want to. You can begin to experience relief, even without sharing the details.
Have questions? I am happy to find us a time to answer them, and help you decide if I may be a good fit.
Narrative Exposure Therapy
What is Narrative Exposure Therapy?
Narrative exposure therapy (or NET) is a short-term, evidence-based psychotherapy designed to treat individuals who have experienced traumatic events.
How Narrative Exposure Therapy Works:
I guide you through a structured, 6-12 session method, where by the end of it, we would have processed each of the traumatic memories you have experienced. Each session is 1.5-2 hours long.
In our first session, we lay out a timeline of life events that you have experienced, using flowers for the positive events, and stones for the negative ones. This will help me get a big picture understanding of your life story. All sessions after the first will be dedicated to processing the “stones”, or traumatic events that we have identified together.
All sessions afterwards:
Each session after the timeline is called an “exposure session”. In an exposure session, we work through one difficult memory at a time. I walk you through narrating the details of the event. I ask you questions like, what did you see? what did you hear/smell/taste? what did you think? what did you feel? what happened next? until we get to the end of the event. We dedicate a session like this for each of the stones we identified on your timeline.
Most people begin to experience relief after 3 sessions. And although most people find the process intense (kind of like going through surgery), people appreciate that it is a short-term intervention, with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
If you feel like this approach may not work for you, I offer gentle trauma resolution using other tools. There are multiple ways to find healing from trauma. People who choose NET are often drawn to it because it is a short-term intervention. It is okay to prefer a different approach. Healing is always possible, even if it may take a longer road. I am committed to finding the way that is most fit for you.
You may find NET helpful if you have experienced:
If you have experienced physical abuse growing up, or watched a loved one experience it.
If you have experienced unwanted sexual touch.
If you or your family has experienced war, displacement, or homelessness.
Not sure if NET is the right choice for you? I’m happy to address your questions/concerns.