Treatment for PTSD

Trauma & PTSD therapy throughout Ohio and Michigan (Online), including Columbus, Ohio

Finding Relief from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

If you found your way here, I imagine you have reached your limit.

Your trauma is holding you back and you need to find healing.

You are tired of thinking about what happened.

And you are beyond exhausted from trying not to think about what happened.

You are living with so much tension and anxiety.

Some days you find it hard just to breathe, or to get through normal day-to-day tasks.

Maybe you don’t feel safe anywhere, even in everyday situations, and most certainly not when alone.

As a seasoned trauma and PTSD therapist, I understand how exhausting it is to live in a constant state of panic.

And I also know how frustrating it is to feel like despite your best efforts, you can’t shake the sleeplessness, anxiety, and burnout from living on high alert.

Life has become so overwhelming. Your nervous system is on overdrive and you want desperately to find relief.

Perhaps part of you longs for a warm relationship or safe place to fully unload.

At the same time, perhaps the idea of opening up still feels quite vulnerable or unknown.

Whatever it is, what I do know is that something led you here, and I’d be happy to help you find the inner peace and internal safety you may be wanting.

Many people come into trauma therapy with so much suffering, and leave free from PTSD, living the life they remember loving before the trauma happened. I wish this for you as well.

Treatment for PTSD and other Trauma Reactions

​Traumatic experiences can be any difficult, hurtful, frightening, or distressing event that leaves a lasting emotional reaction. These events can be big and obvious, like abuse or major accidents, or they can be small, incremental or quite covert. These subtler forms of trauma can occur whenever you got less than you needed, was more than you could handle, or happened unexpectedly.  

The aftermath of trauma can feel debilitating. Like nothing will ever be the same. Like no one else understands. You want to forget what happened, yet, no matter how hard you try to leave it in the past, memories keep popping up, sometimes triggered by certain people, places, or things. It can feel hopeless. 

Experiencing a traumatic or distressing event(s) can be extremely disruptive and painful, but there is hope for healing. It is possible to overcome PTSD and feel like yourself again. 

Types of Trauma:

Verbal, emotional, and physical abuse

Sexual Abuse

Interpersonal violence/assault or threat of violence

Accidents and catastrophic events

Natural disasters

Childbirth trauma

Medical trauma

Traumatic grief

Sudden and unexpected loss of a relationship

Bullying

Healthcare worker and first responder trauma

Toxic workplace

Combat

Toxic people

Religious or cultural trauma

PTSD Symptoms:

All types of trauma can cause significant reactions, that is normal, and they usually decrease over time. Though, not everyone who experiences trauma develops a disorder like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. If the reactions stick around for awhile, intensify, and get in the way of daily functioning, they can develop into PTSD or other Trauma-and-Stressor-Related Disorders.

Diagnostically, in order to meet criteria for a trauma disorder, there are four main categories of symptoms addressed in trauma counseling:

Avoidance

• Avoiding specific locations, sights, situations, and sounds that serve as reminders of the event

• Anxiety, depression, hopelessness

• Lack of emotion/numbness

• Difficulty remembering details of the distressing event

Re-experiencing

• Recurring memories, Intrusive thoughts, nightmares or flashbacks

Hyper-arousal

• Anger, irritability

• Heightened alert, hyper-vigilance, muscle tension

• Aggressive, reckless behavior, including self-harm

• Sleep disturbances

• Trouble concentrating or remembering things

Negative Mood and Thinking

• Loss of interest in activities that were once considered enjoyable

• Overwhelming guilt or shame

• Change in habits or behavior since the trauma

• Social Isolation or withdrawal

Typical Stages of Trauma & PTSD Treatment:

Specific PTSD Treatments:

I have specialized training in providing treatment from the following approaches:

Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy

Neuro-Affective Relational Model (NARM)