PTSD Treatment
Don’t wait to get the help you need!
Finding a qualified trauma therapist can be hard.
Have you tried getting help with other therapists, but just find yourself repeating your story over and over?
Do you ever wonder why it feels like just ‘talking’ about the problem doesn’t seem to be helping?
Have you seen a trauma informed therapist, only to realize, they still don’t have the tools you need to get support?
Our team has heard from many of our clients that they feel stuck on a hamster wheel, talking about trauma, but never really feeling like their therapists know what to do about it.
Our team is different, we work with you to understand the trauma symptoms you are experiencing and to build a treatment plan that begins to help you to recover. We know that if you could have just talked yourself out of these symptoms you would have managed it by now. Our team offers you treatment approaches that are know to work to change the way that trauma is stored by the brain and body.
Overcoming PTSD
Is it actually possible to overcome PTSD? Absolutely, 100% yes. With the right kind of treatment you can experience recovery from your PTSD symptoms. You can live a life where your day to day life isn’t ruled by your symptoms.
What are some common PTSD symptoms?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can manifest in a variety of ways, and some of the most common symptoms include:
1. Flashbacks and Nightmares: Individuals with PTSD may experience intrusive, distressing memories of the traumatic event, often leading to vivid flashbacks or nightmares.
2. Avoidance: People with PTSD may try to avoid places, people, or activities that remind them of the traumatic event. This can lead to social withdrawal and a sense of emotional numbness.
3. Hyperarousal: Individuals may experience heightened levels of anxiety, irritability, and hypervigilance. They may also have difficulty sleeping and concentrating.
4. Negative Thoughts and Mood: PTSD can lead to persistent negative emotions, such as guilt, shame, anger, or fear. A sense of hopelessness about the future is also common.
5. Re-experiencing Symptoms: This includes intrusive thoughts, emotional distress, and physical reactions when reminded of the traumatic event.
It's important to note that PTSD symptoms can vary from person to person, and not everyone experiences the same set of symptoms. If you or someone you know is struggling with symptoms of PTSD, it's crucial to seek professional help for proper diagnosis and treatment.
What makes PTSD treatment different than normal therapy?
When it comes to trauma therapy, the approach can often be categorized as either top-down or bottom-up. Just as in telling a story, the way trauma therapy unfolds makes all the difference in the healing journey. On our team, we use an holistic approach by considering both bottom up and top down therapy approaches.
Top-Down Therapy:
In your typical trauma informed therapies, you take a top-down approach to therapy. The focus is on your thinking and emotions. This approach involves delving into the story of your traumatic experience, by understanding the thought patterns and beliefs surrounding it, and working on cognitive restructuring and reframing. Much like telling a story, this method involves examining and reshaping the way the narrative is presented and perceived.While this can be beneficial for many individuals, we understand that trauma memories are held differently in our brains than most other memories, and simply telling yourself to think differently ultimately doesn’t lead to the kind of recovery individuals are searching for.
Bottom-Up Therapy:
On the other hand, bottom-up trauma therapy is rooted in somatic experiencing and body-oriented techniques. This approach emphasizes physiological regulation, grounding exercises, and sensory integration. It's akin to building a story from the ground up, starting with the sensory and emotional experiences and gradually connecting them to the cognitive understanding. This approach is based in our understanding of how the brain and body process trauma. By starting with emotions, and body sensation surrounding traumatic memories, we can help recover from PTSD using the body’s own natural responses to trauma to recover more holistically.
How They Come Together:
Just as the way one tells a story online can make all the difference, the combination of top-down and bottom-up trauma therapy can be incredibly powerful. Integrating both approaches allows for a holistic and comprehensive healing process that addresses cognitive, emotional, and physiological elements of trauma. It's like crafting a compelling narrative that engages the mind, body, and soul for a transformative experience.
At Hamilton Trauma Therapy Centre, we understand the importance of personalized trauma therapy that resonates with each individual's unique story. Our therapists employ a versatile approach that integrates top-down and bottom-up techniques, ensuring that the healing journey is as diverse and layered as the stories we tell.I