Understanding Trauma: Small Steps Toward Big Healing

Trauma can feel like a terrible invisible weight you carry with you, shaping the way you see and experience the world, react to situations, and even relate to yourself. It’s not always easy to understand, and it can make you feel isolated, like you're stuck in a cycle that’s hard to break. But healing from trauma is possible, and we start with small steps that will lead to big healing.

When we think of trauma, we may think of major life events such as an accident, abuse, loss, abandonment. But trauma isn’t always about big, obvious moments. Sometimes, it’s the smaller, chronic stressors, the things that happen over time, that can have the most profound effect on your mind and body. In therapy, we’ll start by acknowledging how your experiences, big or small, have shaped who you are today.

The first step in healing trauma is understanding that your reactions, whether it's anxiety, depression, fear, numbness, or difficulty trusting others, are natural responses to what you've been through. These responses are ways your mind and body have tried to protect you. Together, we’ll work to gently uncover how trauma has affected you, so you can begin to understand your own responses and start to make sense of them.

Healing doesn’t happen overnight, but with every step we take together, you’ll start to reconnect with your body and mind in a new way. We’ll explore practices and self-care strategies that help you ground yourself in the present moment. They’re powerful tools for calming your autonomic nervous system (ANS) and slowly building resilience.

One of the most important aspects of healing trauma is creating a sense of safety. In therapy, this is a space where you can express yourself without fear of judgment. Our relationship is important in healing trauma, and we’ll work at a pace that feels comfortable for you,  one small step at a time, so that you can gradually build trust in yourself and the process. Every small step, no matter how small it may feel, is progress. I’m here to support you in your journey.