Trauma Therapy in Denver, CO
Trauma-informed care to help you feel safe, grounded, and whole again Denver or virtually anywhere else in Colorado.
What is Trauma Therapy?
What is Trauma Therapy?
Trauma therapy helps you process and heal from the lasting impact of traumatic experiences that occurred in the near or distant past.
Definition and Explanation of Trauma Therapy
Trauma is any distressing experience or shocking event where someone feels powerless and overwhelmed by their ability to cope. Trauma can occur from a variety of events such as, but not limited to, abuse, neglect, accident, illness, violence, natural disaster.
Trauma is not about a single event, it’s the lasting impact of any experience that shatters your sense of safety, connection, or self-worth. Unresolved trauma experiences can have lasting physical, emotional, mental, social, biological and spiritual impacts. This affects your wellbeing in many aspects of life, and it can be difficult to live your life as you did before the trauma.
There are different types of trauma. The main types are physical, psychological, and relational. Trauma can vary in presentation and severity, and be acute, chronic, or complex.
Importance of Seeking Treatment for Trauma
Trauma can leave a lasting imprint on mind and body leading to anxiety disorders, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If left untreated, these conditions can worsen over time, leading to significant impairment in daily life and even physical health.
PTSD is a diagnosis often given to people who have encountered a traumatic event. But, you can have post trauma stress and benefit from treatment, even if you don’t meet the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis.
Common Symptoms of Trauma
PTSD symptoms to be aware of after a traumatic event occurs:
Mood troubles such as irritability, anxiety and depression
Panic attacks
Negative thoughts
Relationship issues and social isolation
Sleep disturbances
Difficulty relaxing
Destructive tendencies
Distressing thoughts
Emotional numbness or disociative tendencies
Shame, guilt or low self-esteem
Feelings of hopelessness
Even without the diagnosis, trauma can have a lasting impact on your wellbeing and personal development. After trauma occurs, maladaptive compensatory patterns can form.
How Trauma Affects Life and Health
There are many ways to avoid memories and get “past” trauma. Common unhealthful approaches involve substance use to manage symptoms. Relationships are impacted by isolation and withdrawal behaviors. It can be difficult to concentrate and complete tasks, making school and work challenging. Trauma also leads to a range of physical health problems including chronic pain and gastrointestinal issues.
How Trauma Therapy Helps
Trauma can feel like something that's still happening or constantly threatening you, and the goal of trauma therapy is to help you integrate the traumatic experience into your life story in a way that reduces its power over you.
The only true way out is through. Trauma therapy will help you process traumatic memories which provides relief from symptoms like flashbacks, nightmares, anxiety, depression, emotional numbness and physical tension. Trauma therapy will also help build the emotional resilience and tolerance needed to confront pain and make meaning.
People often seek therapy when the coping skills that were once helpful no longer work, or are creating problems in the present. If you’re looking for trauma treatment Denver, PTSD counseling near me, and trauma therapist in Colorado, you’ve landed in the right place.
How I Help Clients Heal From Trauma Across Denver and Colorado
Trauma affects the brain, body, and nervous system in specific ways. If you're considering trauma therapy, finding a therapist specifically trained in trauma treatment is important because they'll understand how to work with you without retraumatizing you.
We always work collaboratively at a pace that feels safe for you, understanding that healing isn't about forcing yourself to "get over it" but about gradually building capacity to process difficult experiences. We respect the natural timing of the process and reflect on the process itself.
There are many modalities for approaching trauma treatment, and I incorporate a range of evidence-based practices, but of utmost importance in the treatment of trauma is to find someone who makes you feel safe, seen, and heard. If you feel those things, it’s more likely a connection will follow, and that relationship will help provide the partnership, support, and courage that it takes to move through the healing process.
The best way to get started is by scheduling an intro consultation to discuss the recommended treatment plan for your case.
How to Know If Trauma Therapy Can Help You
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Hypervigilance and heightened startle reaction are common responses to a traumatic event.
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This can come in the form of flashbacks, nightmares, emotional distress or physical reactivity to a traumatic reminder. This can also manifest in unfulfilling or damaging relational patterns.
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Trauma leaves a physical imprint on the body. Fear is experienced in the body via the nervous system.
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You can start slow if you’re not sure. A common question a therapist might ask during a consultation call is “why now?”
Trauma Therapy in the Heart of Denver
Whether you’re in Capitol Hill, Cherry Creek, or LoDo, I offer both in-person and online trauma therapy across Colorado — providing accessible, trauma-informed support wherever you are.
Begin Your Healing Journey From Trauma Today.
You don’t have to carry your past alone. Reach out for a free consultation.
Trauma Therapy in Denver: FAQs
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There are many modalities and perspectives for approaching trauma treatment. These matter less than the therapeutic relationship itself. Most important in the treatment of trauma is to find someone who makes you feel safe, seen and heard. If you feel those things it’s more likely that a connection will follow, and that relationship will help give you the support, strength and courage that it takes to move through the healing process.
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The best therapy for trauma depends on you, the type of trauma, and where you are in your healing process. The best way to find what you need is to set up introductory consultations with a few therapists, ask questions, and access how you feel after your conversation. Healing happens in connection, especially if the trauma has a relational aspect to it, so the therapeutic alliance is the most important part of what makes a trauma treatment successful.
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Trauma-informed practice is connecting, co-regulating, and co-reflecting. The 3 C’s of trauma explain why therapy is the gold standard in trauma treatment.
Connection emphasizes building and maintaining relationships which provide the critical support needed for recovery.
Co-regulating helps manage emotions through shared regulation of stress and impulses.
Co-reflection encourages the processing of traumatic experiences by working with a trusted professional or within a support system.
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This is completely dependent on the case, but generally speaking trauma therapy is a slower process. PTSD is hard to cure, and the nature of the trauma, how helpless one felt during the traumatic experience, current levels of exposure to triggers, as well as frequency of treatment are all factors to consider. Generally the time frame can be between six months to one year for incident specific traumas, with two years and more not being uncommon especially for complex developmental trauma. During an initial assessment, information is gathered, and a more reliable estimate can be provided. Trauma therapy is a process but relief is often experienced as early as the first few sessions.