Trauma Counselling

If you can relate to any of the symptoms above, we know a piece of what you're struggling with. We also know how hard it can be to cope with these issues and how desperate you may feel when nothing seems to help.

Is What I Experienced Considered Trauma?

There are a variety of definitions for trauma, but a basic explanation would be that trauma is any experience that has overwhelmed your nervous system's capacity to cope. If an event causes too much physical or emotional distress our brain cannot fully function and make sense of our experience. This can cause our brain to get stuck in survival responses, such as fight, flight, freeze, and fawn. Even though we're no longer in the traumatic experience our brain and body can perceive that we are going forward, causing many different problems.

Attachment Injury/Developmental Trauma

When we grow up in a home that doesn't meet basic needs to feel safe, protected, and loved, we tend to adapt and do the best we can to get these basic needs met. The way we cope with these early experiences shape what we learn to expect of the world and those around us. How we interact with others later on in life often becomes influenced by these experiences. While there may or may not have been any traumatic experiences that greatly overwhelmed our capacity to cope and feel safe, we can still experience symptoms that are similar to those with trauma and abuse histories (ie.- relationship problems, feelings of worthlessness, anxiety, perfectionism, depression). Our symptoms and problems can sometimes be indications of how we coped with our family situations as children. For example, trying to be perfect in order to receive attention and love.

What Does This Mean for Me?

If you've experienced trauma there is a chance it's still influencing you today, whether or not you actually still think about what happened. When we experience a traumatic event, our brains' ability to sort through and store information doesn't function properly. Instead our body protects us by making sure that we are ready to attack, run away, shut down or freeze when the event happens.

When anything that is similar (including sounds, smells, sights, feelings) to the traumatic event(s) happens again, our body goes into this same protection mode. We don't have to know that this is happening for it to occur. This can look like anything from feeling anxious, feeling tension in our muscles, experiencing full-blown rage, to feeling like reality is distorted and we're in a dream. This is not something you can just easily will yourself to stop doing. Remember, this is your body's way of protecting you!

There is Hope

Together we can build practical ways to start dealing with your body's natural protective reaction and work towards resolving trauma through a variety of different therapies. We have worked with many individuals struggling with trauma and know that there is great capacity to experience freedom and relief from the symptoms you're experiencing. Trauma counselling can start to offer you the relief you've been looking for.

If you are ready for change, or even curious about change, please call - 604-454-4516 - or email info@revivecounselling.com for more information or to set up an appointment.

"Natalie Dressler is a gifted trauma therapist who has worked with some of the most complex cases that face clinicians in this field...Her natural empathy and gentleness will be a relief for many. I recommend her as a therapist, without reservation"

Richard A. (Rick) Bradshaw, PhD RPsych

Perhaps you Can Relate to One or More of the Following Possible Symptoms of Trauma and/or Abuse:

Feeling overwhelmed by your emotions, with little ability to find relief
General irritibility, feeling quick to anger or rage
Substance abuse
Eating disorders
Feeling numb, unreal, or like you are out of your body
Depression
Inability to fall asleep or stay asleep
No thoughts or feelings about your future
Feeling hopeless
Feelings of shame and worthlessness
Self-destructive behaviour
Little or no memories
Feeling over aware of your surroundings
Problems with trusting others
Chronic pain and headaches
Poor concentration or memory
Anxiety and panic attacks
Nightmares, Flashbacks
Inability to form safe boundaries or respect those in others

Dealing with Current or Past Trauma?

When we have experienced trauma, it is not uncommon to have resulting physical, emotional, or cognitive complaints. We don't have to be constantly thinking about what happened for trauma to still affect us.