Most all of us experience trauma in our lives. Whether your trauma is capital “T” Trauma or a lower-case “t” trauma, everyone experiences these difficult scenarios differently. For some people they can seemingly let it go and not be bother by it. For others, the difficult scenario can stick with them and come out sideways in various ways throughout life.

Trauma can be something that has happened in the past, perhaps years ago, that follows us into the present and keeps us from fully enjoying life today. It is a memory that lives in our minds and our bodies. Oddly, memory has been shown to be unreliable since we remember the event from the last time we thought or talked about it, not necessarily the exact moment that it happened. Thinking about an event, we tend to make meaning of it. Oftentimes there are mixed emotions and meanings we experience which can feel confusing. It’s this confusion that can keep us stuck.

Trauma can cause us to clam up and turn inward to protect ourselves from future harm. Others of us can get BIG and LOUD to protect ourselves and externalize the trauma. There is not one right or wrong way to deal with trauma or any experience for that matter.

At The Mindfulness Center, we work from a “Yes, and…” perspective. Yes, you may feel scared and angry, and you might also want to connect with others while also avoiding getting too close as a way to protect yourself. Life and relationships can be complicated and messy. Our work as therapists is to help you move beyond the stuckness as you are ready. We want to help you find some movement, in any direction to start, then you can switch directions once you are moving. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to go, there is just going/forward in a way that feels best for you. We are here to help. This is our wheelhouse and we look forward to working with you.