Trauma & Recovery
"Trauma is not an event; it is the response to the event."
To understand trauma is to understand the human experience because trauma is not just what happens to us, but how we respond to what happens. In this sense, trauma is often not pathological; it is a deeply human and meaningful reaction. What’s often overwhelming or confusing is not the response itself, but the event.
Since trauma is a response, it is shaped by our nervous system’s attempt to protect us. Imagine you’re in a classroom in high school and suddenly hear a loud explosion. Your immediate reaction would be to jump — a primitive and automatic survival response. Then, more slowly, your brain would start trying to make sense of what just happened. Meanwhile, your brain records everything: the sound of the explosion, the classroom noises, the temperature of the room... because in that moment, everything becomes a potential cue of danger.
This is how the brain generalizes danger. It doesn't just record the explosion itself, but everything associated with it. And unlike ordinary memory, traumatic memory is timeless; it can feel as if the event happened just yesterday, no matter how long ago it occurred.
How Trauma Is Addressed in Therapy
Trauma therapy focuses not on retelling the story of what happened, but on processing the body and mind's responses to it. The goal is to help the individual move through the frozen or overwhelmed parts of their experience so that their nervous system can return to balance. Key elements of trauma-focused therapy include:
Creating a Sense of Safety
Before working directly with trauma, it's essential for the person to feel safe enough in the therapeutic space. The relationship with the therapist becomes the foundation for this safety. Techniques such as grounding, breathwork, and body awareness are often used early on.
Meaning-Making and Reframing
Trauma often leaves people with painful beliefs like “I’m weak,” “I’m broken,” or “It was my fault.” In therapy, we work to uncover the origins of these beliefs and help the individual separate their identity from the trauma.
Working with the Body
Trauma is not just stored in the mind — it lives in the body. That's why many trauma-informed approaches (such as Somatic Experiencing, EMDR, or Sensorimotor Therapy) involve body awareness and regulation. It's about noticing how the body carries the memory, not just telling the story.
Healing Is Not Remembering — It's Reprocessing
The goal isn’t to remember every detail of the trauma but to change how the body and mind respond to it. When this happens, the event becomes part of the past, rather than something that continues to intrude on the present.
You Are Not Meant to Carry This Alone
Post-traumatic growth is possible. Many people discover new inner strength, clearer boundaries, and greater compassion through their healing process. Trauma may leave a mark, but it doesn't have to define your future.
Therapy provides a safe space for this transformation. If you are carrying emotions, memories, or reactions from the past that still affect your present, you're not alone — and healing is possible.