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Depression is one of the most common and uncomfortable emotions that we can experience at some point in our lives. Depression feels like you cannot catch a break, and everything around you has become dark. The pressure of living becomes overwhelming.

 Depression is s a daily struggle to get out of bed in the mornings. You don’t feel motivated or prepared to go about your day, whether that means taking care of your children, making plans with friends, or performing at work. 

You see the world through dark-tinted glasses and experience little joy in life. You feel hopeless and alone. You begin to lose focus. You no longer control your thoughts. Instead, your thoughts start to control you. The only thing you are sure about is that you want to feel better and no longer want depression to hold you back from living a joyful life. Depression can be triggered by trauma and adverse life circumstances. Depression commonly manifests physically, through 

• stomach pains
• headaches
• disrupted or excessive sleep
• motor control difficulty. 

Depression is a mental illness that is characterized by prolonged symptoms, including:   

• Apathy 
• Sadness 
• Guilt 
• Exhaustion 
• Irritability 
• Concentration
• Appetite changes 
• Work functioning 
• Overall enjoyment and satisfaction.    

You are not alone! Depression is a severe disorder that affects over 3 million people in the United States each year (Mayo Clinic, 2018). You know you deserve to be happy and free from depression and despair. The grip of depression can make you feel isolated, trapped, and exhausted. But there is a way out. I can help individuals better understand learned patterns and faulty ways of thinking that might be holding them back. 

Using treatment founded on the principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), we can help you gain a greater awareness of thoughts and distortions—including misconceptions around the motivation of others. Learn productive ways to face challenging situations as opposed to avoiding those altogether. You can develop a much stronger sense of self-worth and self-confidence.

Treatment for depression is tailored to your specific needs based on your symptom presentation. There is no “one-size-fits-all” treatment modality for depression, so I combine elements of today’s most innovative and effective psychotherapy models. I will work hand in hand with the client as a team to create a safe space for healing and recovery. If you suffer from depression, I invite you to contact me today for a free consultation.

Trauma is a experience that negatively impacts the way in which you see yourself, other and the world around. Many individuals can experience symptoms associated with painful and traumatic circumstances. Anxiety, depression, fear, and hopelessness are a few emotions that can linger due to an traumatic events. If you’ve been impacted by trauma, either an event you experienced or one you witnessed. This could refer to,  

• Abuse(sexual, physical, psychological, neglect, domestic violence, bullying, racism), 
• Death, loss, physical illness or injury (death of a love one divorce, separation, abandonment, betrayal chronic health problem, diseases, physical injuries, addictions, foster care, parent in prison) or 
• Catastrophic events (war, natural disaster, car accidents, school shoots, mass violence). 

Trauma causes you to feel overly alert and reactive when you are reminded of the traumatic event. You often feel restless, have trouble sleeping, and may experience frequent nightmares. You face fear and anxiety regularly. You feel hopeless about the future because you don’t see an end in sight to your suffering. 

1. Trauma  A way to understand trauma is to think of a physical wound. Without the right treatment, a wound may get infected and worsen instead of healing. Someone can put a bandage on a wound, but if there is a deep infection then a bandage can only cover up the deeper problem. 
2. Trauma is a personal experience. What is traumatic for one person may not have as much negative affect on another person who experienced the same event. Many factors go into how an adverse experience or traumatic event affects people, and these factors may include how frightening the event was to them, whether they had emotional support after the event, and what beliefs they developed about themselves, others, or the world as a result. 

Returning to the physical wound analogy, a physical wound may need to be opened and exposed to remove the infection so that the wound can heal from the inside out. As with a physical wound, it is vulnerable and scary to open up a psychological wound and expose all the feelings, emotions, and thoughts connected to a past stressful experience.    

1. Memories  - Many of the memories our brain stores are in our prefrontal cortex and do not feel disturbing when we recall them. 
2. If a memory is traumatic, our brain may polarize between the logical (left) and emotional (right) because feeling everything at the time of the memory was too overwhelming to process. Without having an opportunity to heal, the brain stores traumatic memories in a way that causes emotional disturbance in our limbic system. 
3. Memories can be activated by something that reminds us of the traumatic event and this can lead to intense emotions such as anger or rage, depression, or excessive anxiety. 
4. We may freeze up and be unable to do anything when we are emotionally disturbed by these reminders, or we try to fight back and may become violent with ourselves or others.  
5. Relationships can be damaged when we respond to one another from a painful memory and feel as though we are reliving the event. When the memory is still disturbing, healing is necessary to return to a better quality of life. 

Once memories are processed in the present through a therapy that engages both body and mind, the memories can be stored in an adequate way to where they no longer cause emotional disturbance. Healing looks different for each person because each memory and how the brain stores it is a unique and personal experience.    

1. Dissociation   Merriam Webster defines dissociate as “to separate from association or union with another”. We all dissociate in some way, and the more stressed we are, the more we are likely to disconnect from the present moment. Whether it is driving in a car and forgetting part of the trip, or wondering whether things really happened or whether you just dreamed them, dissociation is what the brain does to cope through experiences that feel overwhelming by disconnecting in some way from reality. 
2. When trauma is involved, dissociation can mean our minds separate ourselves from our bodies to be able to cope with the experience. When dissociating, our mind and body are not integrated as a whole person. If we continue to dissociate after the event, the memory still holds emotional disturbance in the body even though it is in the past. 
3. The past is activated in the present through emotional triggers or traumatic reminders and our brain tells us we need to separate ourselves from our bodies in some way. The more the pain is not healed, the more the brain tries to dissociate to cope. 

Some people dissociate by trying to avoid thoughts or memories through distracting themselves by various means. Others use alcohol or other substances to avoid feeling the pain that memories bring up for them.  

 There is a bright future in sight for those afflicted with trauma. I can help you overcome these symptoms while guiding you through the process of grief and healing. Through therapy, you can build greater awareness about the situations that upset you and learn how to engage in relaxation strategies to remain calmer when exposed to traumatic reminders. You may also be encouraged to connect with other trauma survivors to help you feel less alone. Building a skill set to address your trauma with and developing a support network can enable you to get back into the world again. If you have trauma I can help you heal from your pain. I invite you to contact me today for a free consultation.