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You’ve been through so much trauma and pain. All you want is to feel like yourself again, but you have no idea where to start or what to do about it. The good thing is that with the right trauma therapist in Houston, you can indeed experience transformation like you’ve never seen before.
I’ve been a therapist for about a decade now. I’ve worked with people going through severe mental health struggles, complex levels of dysfunction within their family units, and of course, multiple layers of trauma.
One of the complaints I often hear from clients is that they have been to trauma therapy and they just aren’t getting results. They do not want to have to rehash the horrors they have been through.
This really sucks. Imagine being trapped in a hurricane of trauma with no relief in sight?
My goal as a therapist is to make therapy worthwhile and effective for my clients. Why? Because clients usually only come to me after they have been struggling for years, so by the time they get to me, they are completely spent.
Back in the day, I utilized regular talk therapy to help my clients work through trauma, however it just wasn’t cutting it.
You’ve had it rough. Lots of cruel, sad things have happened to you, and you’re not sure how you’ve survived or made it this far. You’ve noticed that you’re snappy, you struggle to engage with friends, and your walls are up. Maybe it’s time to find a great trauma therapist in Houston to help you finally heal from the trauma.
Trauma is everywhere. That’s a scary thought. But because most people know what trauma is, it is important to understand the process of healing one’s trauma through therapy.
There is a growing need for specialized trauma therapists in Houston, because the world is getting harsher and harsher. People are no longer willing to suffer in silence- which is AMAZING!
But sometimes, seeking help for the trauma that has you in a chokehold feels scary. You might have heard horror stories about people who have gone to therapy. Or maybe your mama has warned you to never tell strangers your business.
And as an adult woman, you might also feel like you are way too busy to spend about 1 hour each week talking through trauma.
Today I’m about to help silence your fears and give you some insight into what trauma therapy actually is.
Trauma.
1 huge horrific word.
It’s the boogie man in the closet that you do not speak of for fear that it will eat you up. It’s the thing that has you in a chokehold so you feel like you can’t breathe.
You think you can ignore those horrible things that happened to you and around you, but little do you know that trauma is indeed affecting you.
We’ve all heard about trauma. And it’s difficult to define. I simply tell my clients that trauma is anything that you define as trauma.
It’s that simple. If it left a mark and it feels like it has you in a chokehold, then it is trauma. I’m not a fan of invalidating your experiences.
But trauma is unfortunately everywhere. Even long after the event or events are over, trauma is a horrible thing that leaves its mark. You try to shake it off, but it seems to have seeped into your bones and pores.
One of the biggest struggles that highly sensitive people experience is that their emotions are constantly being invalidated by loved ones and close relatives. It appears that they are misunderstood at every turn. When you're highly sensitive, it is very difficult to actually show up as your true self – especially if that true self is seen as unacceptable or strange to the people around you.
Highly sensitive people are especially prone to feeling stressed out, cranky or overwhelmed when they do not get enough sleep (I know this all too well). It might take you longer to settle in at night, and you might notice that you need more sleep that your adult counterparts.
So if you notice that you need more than 8 hours of sleep- know that it’s totally normal. Here are some things you can do to set you up for a great night of uninterrupted sleep.
Overwhelm is something you are all too familiar with. Your thoughts race constantly, you struggle to make easy decisions, or you find yourself regularly bursting into tears. It’s quite possible you are being triggered by one of these 4 things. Never fear, I’ve also included some ways to manage these triggers.
The word ‘Boundaries’ is a popular buzz word. But do you really know what it means? Simply put, a boundary is something that tells people how to treat you. Think of it like a fence protecting your house. Somewhere in the middle of the fence is a gate. You decide when to open the gate, who to open the gate to, and when to close the gate.
Many highly sensitive people have been told that they are “Too much.” And because of this, they try to please people by not setting firm boundaries. Then there comes a feeling of shame after not setting a firm enough boundary.
One of the most important skills that couples have to master when we work together in my Houston marriage counseling practice, is how to vent to one another when they are going though stress. Being that stress is a part of life, it's important to know how to support each other. On the surface, it might just look like venting, but when you can effectively communicate your stress and frustration to your spouse, you receive support in return.
Support builds intimacy and closeness between you and your spouse.
When you are highly sensitive, emotions feel deep and intense. Sometimes you feel multiple emotions at the same time, making it difficult for you to sort through what is actually going on within you.
Because you go through so many emotions and chances are you spend so much time trying to keep these emotions under the surface, you haven't really gotten good at identifying your emotional needs.
Here are simple questions to help you identify what you need when you are overwhelmed or stressed.
Emotional intensity simply means that highly sensitive people tend to experience emotions on a much deeper level than non-sensitive people. So for example when they're happy, you might see them with a big smile on their face, acting silly or giggling a lot. When they're sad it seems like their sadness is a lot deeper than usual, or if they are upset you might see them cry. This is often puzzling to people who are non-sensitive. It is important to note that emotional sensitivity is not necessarily a bad thing.
Over arousal simply means that your nervous system picks up stimuli more easily than others. So the bright lights in the corner of the room might not affect anybody else, but you feel like they are piercing through your eyes. Here is how to manage over arousal as a highly sensitive person.
What exactly is high sensitivity?
If you have been told “You’re too sensitive,” “You cry too much,” “You need to toughen up,” “You need to not be so upset,” “You have no reason to be upset” or “You need to grow tougher skin,” then chances are you might actually be a Highly Sensitive Person (HSP).
Discover how brainspotting therapy helps high-performing women in Houston heal from trauma quickly and gently. As a trauma therapist in Houston, I specialize in guiding women through deep emotional healing, addressing anxiety, burnout, and unresolved trauma. Ready to reclaim your life? Schedule your virtual session today!