Understanding Trauma

At Holistically Divine Counseling (HDC), we believe healing from trauma is possible when you are met with safety, presence, and unwavering support. Trauma therapy helps you gently explore your story, reclaim your voice, and create new meaning from painful experiences. We walk alongside you with compassion and evidence-based care, honoring your pace and your power.

What is Trauma?

Trauma is any experience that overwhelms your ability to cope and makes you feel unsafe physically, emotionally, or psychologically. It can be the result of a single incident or a series of events that leave a lasting impact on how you see yourself, others, and the world.

Types of Trauma

Acute Trauma: A single event such as an accident, assault, or natural disaster.

Chronic Trauma: Repeated exposure to distressing events, such as ongoing abuse or domestic violence.

Complex Trauma: Trauma that occurs within relationships over time, often beginning in childhood, and involving multiple layers of harm and emotional disruption.

Symptoms of Trauma and PTSD

• Flashbacks or intrusive memories
• Hypervigilance or feeling constantly on edge
• Emotional numbness or detachment
• Trouble sleeping or concentrating
• Avoidance of people, places, or situations
• Guilt, shame, or low self-worth

What is Trauma Therapy?

Trauma therapy is a specialized form of treatment that helps individuals process, integrate, and heal from the psychological and emotional effects of trauma. At HDC, our trauma-informed care prioritizes emotional safety, empowerment, and trust.

The Goal of Trauma Therapy

The goal of trauma therapy is not to erase what happened but to help you find peace, regain control, and reconnect to the parts of yourself that feel lost. Through guided support, you begin to build the tools to move forward with strength and self-compassion.

How Trauma Therapy Works

Trauma therapy provides a structured, compassionate space to:

• Gently access and explore painful memories
• Learn grounding and regulation techniques
• Reframe harmful beliefs tied to trauma
• Rebuild a sense of safety and self-trust
• Foster post-traumatic growth and resilience

Types of Trauma Therapy

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)

Trauma-Focused CBT can benefit individuals of all ages. It combines psychoeducation, relaxation skills, and trauma narrative work to reduce trauma symptoms and strengthen emotional resilience.

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

Helps individuals stuck in shame or guilt reprocess trauma through structured reflection and thought challenging.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

EMDR helps individuals heal from trauma and distressing life experiences by using bilateral stimulation (such as eye movements or tapping). This process helps the brain reprocess painful memories, reducing their emotional charge and allowing for integration into a healthier self-narrative.

Narrative Therapy (NT)

Narrative Therapy helps individuals explore and reframe the stories they tell about themselves and their experiences. It focuses on separating the person from the problem and empowers clients to rewrite limiting or trauma-informed narratives in a way that centers healing, agency, and resilience. This approach is especially valuable for individuals with complex trauma histories, as it provides a structured path to rediscover meaning, integrate painful memories, and reclaim authorship of one’s life story. In doing so, Narrative Therapy becomes a process of gaining your power back of no longer living in the shadow of what happened, but rising into who you are choosing to become.

Art and Creative Therapies

Art, music, and movement can provide safe, non-verbal avenues for expression and emotional processing. These creative modalities allow individuals to access parts of their experience that may be difficult to articulate in words, especially for those who have experienced trauma at a young age or in relational contexts. Expressive therapies foster emotional release, promote nervous system regulation, and support meaning-making.

Benefits of Trauma Therapy

Improved Emotional Regulation

Trauma therapy helps restore balance to the nervous system, allowing you to respond to life’s challenges with greater calm, clarity, and control. As you learn grounding techniques and body-based tools, emotional reactivity is replaced with resilience and self-awareness.

Reduced PTSD Symptoms

Through structured, evidence-based methods like EMDR, TF-CBT, and Narrative Therapy, trauma symptoms such as flashbacks, hypervigilance, and intrusive thoughts begin to lessen. With time and support, you begin to feel safer in your body, mind, and relationships.

Enhanced Coping Skills

Therapy equips you with practical, personalized tools to manage stress, triggers, and overwhelm. From mindfulness to reframing thoughts, you build a toolkit that helps you feel more empowered and grounded during difficult moments.

Improved Relationships

Trauma often affects the way we relate to others. Therapy helps you rebuild trust, improve communication, and establish healthy boundaries. Whether you’re healing in partnership, family, or community, trauma therapy fosters deeper, more authentic connection.

How to Find a Trauma Therapist

Online vs. In-Person Therapy: Weighing the Options

Both options can be effective. Choose what feels safest and most accessible to you. At HDC, we offer in-person and virtual trauma counseling.

Questions to Ask a Potential Therapist

• What is your experience working with trauma?
• What trauma modalities do you use?
• How do you ensure safety and pacing in the work?

What to Expect in Your First Session

Your first session focuses on getting to know you, not reliving trauma. We explore your goals, support systems, and what you need to feel safe. Your therapist will explain what trauma-informed care looks like and work with you to create a collaborative plan.

Trauma-Informed Care: A Holistic Approach

Creating a Safe and Supportive Environment

At HDC, our trauma-informed approach means:

• You are the expert on your story
• Safety and trust are non-negotiable
• We move at your pace, not the pace of the trauma
• Your identity, culture, and values are honored
• Healing includes mind, body, and spirit

The Importance of Self-Care

Trauma work can be emotionally taxing, so self-care is essential. We integrate self-care into our therapy plans with:

• Mindfulness practices
• Gentle movement and body awareness
• Reflective journaling
• Creative expression
• Boundary-setting strategies

Healing from trauma is about reclaiming power, finding peace, and learning to trust your body and story again.