Spotted Rabbit studio

Trauma Therapy

Complex Trauma

Are trauma reactions keeping you stuck?

Do You…

have difficulty relaxing or calming down?
identify with being a perfectionist?
believe that you’re overreacting or too emotional?
experience difficulty connecting with others?
struggle to express yourself or feel heard?
lack trust in others and try to do everything yourself?
find your emotions overwhelming and aren’t sure what to do with them?

“I am not what has happened to me, I am what I choose to become.”

C. Jung

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Complex Trauma & Treatment

Complex trauma is more than the painful memories, flashbacks, and nightmares that accompany PTSD. In most instances individuals with complex trauma have insecure care giver attachments and lived much of their lives in toxic relationships. These experiences erode their sense of self and sets them up for engagement in other abusive relationships, even as adults. Individuals with complex trauma have almost always experienced emotional neglect and/or emotional abuse. Generational trauma is generally a factor with a history of abuse, alcoholism, and mental illness going far back in the family tree. Physical and sexual abuse is often, but not always present. Folks who have experienced complex trauma often find they are trapped in maladaptive ways of functioning. These are often behaviors and reactions that protected them in childhood but no longer sufficiently meet their needs as an adult and often hinder their ability to work toward their identified values.

So, how do we break this cycle? Many individuals put off therapy because they think they need to relive their trauma experiences in full. This is not so. While identifying emotional triggers is needed in order to identify new ways of coping and responding we do not need to recount every hurtful experience to feel better. At Spotted Rabbit Studio we use an ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) approach to treating trauma. We focus on identifying and naming our emotions, accepting and sitting with our emotions, and developing effective ways to stay present (mindfulness) and disconnect from our thoughts about our emotions. We work on identifying personal values and taking measurable steps toward incorporating them more into our lives. Self-care, self-advocacy and boundary setting are frequently addressed topics. Building healthy relationships is a priority. Most of all we work on shifting the narrative of trauma. Time and time again, research shows that it’s the story we tell ourselves about our experiences that best determines our ability to heal from trauma.