I’ll never forget the time the therapist sitting across from me suggested that I was suffering from PTSD. I had heard that term before I thought it was for those who endured war or experienced a violent crime or accident. Maybe you share this thought?
I had no idea that PTSD, which stands for post-traumatic stress disorder, could be the by-product of the abuse I experienced growing up.
The symptoms that manifested in my life were “my normal,” so it never occurred to me that there may be an issue with how I faced the world and interacted with my friends and family.
Maybe you can relate. If so, consider this question:
Do you find yourself trapped in a cycle of habits or conflict that you’d like to get out of, but you have no idea how to create lasting change and live the life you long for?
If so, trauma-informed coaching may very well be your best next step to explore if the way you are living aligns with symptoms that manifest as a result of experiencing trauma. The Natural Lifemanship Institute explains, “Trauma is a subjective experience of one’s response to events or situations. What is traumatizing to one person may not be traumatizing to another.”
Trauma is defined as any situation in which survival is the overriding concern, and therefore the brain must make changes to accommodate that need for survival.
“Psychological trauma is a response involving complex debilitation of adaptive abilities—emotional, cognitive, physical, spiritual and social—following an event that was perceived by our nervous system as life-threatening to oneself or others (especially loves ones).” – Psychology Today
With that in mind, it is important to consider the different types of trauma”
ACUTE trauma results from a single incident.
CHRONIC trauma is repeated and prolonged such as domestic violence or abuse.
COMPLEX trauma is exposure to varied and multiple traumatic events, often of an invasive, interpersonal nature.
Trauma may be experienced through any of the following events:
- intrauterine trauma
- birth trauma
- abuse
- neglect
- domestic violence
- grief and loss
- car accident
- flooding and fires
- natural disaster
- divorce
- family separation
- chronic or sudden illness or injury
- combat
- detainment/deportation
- incarceration
- imprisonment
- homelessness
- poverty
- community violence
- civil unrest
- sudden changes in relationships
- sudden changes in circumstances
For anyone who has suffered from a traumatic experience, trauma-informed coaching can be the first step towards breakthrough and healing.
Utilizing the practices and principles of neurobiology and attachment theory, a trauma-informed coach (or therapist) will sensitively help you navigate your healing journey, not necessarily looking deep into the past because there is no point in bringing up triggering memories, but rather help you discover how to live in the present with an emotionally, relationally, and cognitively integrated mind and body. This can take place in online sessions and is especially powerful through equine-assisted coaching sessions, where the biofeedback from a horse provides information it could take months to uncover in a traditional setting.
Yes, healing is possible.
I am living proof.
You can be, too!
To get started, book a session with me and we’ll determine your next best step on this journey of growing emotionally resilient and relationally strong so that you can live the life you were made for.
