Trauma

From our home office in Fort Worth, Texas, we at Same Time Next Week? Counseling & Consultation, take great care to offer support for and treat clients who suffer from the impact of trauma in the many forms it presents itself.

Trauma is not just what happened to you. It’s what lingers long after the event has passed. It can result from a wide range of distressing or threatening experiences. Abuse, accidents, natural disasters, violence, medical procedures, or profound loss are all examples of trauma. These events can overwhelm your nervous system’s ability to cope, leaving long-term emotional imprints that run deep. This affects the way you feel, think, and move through the world. Even long after the event has passed, its echoes may still be felt in the body, mind, and nervous system.

Living with trauma can feel like enduring an earthquake with aftershocks: the initial impact may be over, but its tremors keep resurfacing. Often, this happens without warning. You might feel like you’re carrying an invisible backpack full of bricks. It’s a heavy, exhausting burden that no one else sees, yet it crushes you all the same. Even daily tasks can feel exhausting under that weight.

For many, trauma creates a state of disorientation. Imagine walking through fog without a map, unsure of which direction is safe, and feeling constantly on edge. Even when the wounds seem to have healed, they can ache like a scar when the weather changes. It is triggered by memories, sensations, or seemingly minor reminders.

Trauma affects more than emotions. It can impact sleep, concentration, relationships, and your overall sense of safety in the world. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) may emerge. This could bring flashbacks, avoidance behaviors, hypervigilance, and intrusive thoughts. These symptoms are not signs of weakness; they are survival strategies that your nervous system has adapted in response to threat.

A key to healing trauma lies in understanding the body’s response. The vagus nerve, a critical part of the parasympathetic nervous system, plays a major role in regulating stress responses. When trauma disrupts this system, your body may remain in a state of fight, flight, or freeze. Approaches that support nervous system regulation, such as breathwork, grounding, and mindfulness, can help restore a sense of calm and connection to the present.

One powerful method Same Time Next Week offers is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR helps the brain reprocess “stuck” traumatic memories by using bilateral stimulation while recalling the distressing experience. These methods include guided eye movements or tapping. This allows the memory to shift from a raw, emotionally charged state into one that feels less overwhelming and more integrated. Over time, clients often experience decreased emotional intensity, increased clarity, and a renewed sense of empowerment.

EMDR is supported by leading organizations, including the World Health Organization and the American Psychiatric Association, as an effective, evidence-based treatment for trauma. It’s also adaptable for other concerns like phobias, anxiety, and depression.

Trauma therapy involves more than talking about the past; it’s about learning to feel safe in the present. With support, you can loosen trauma’s grip, reconnect with your body, and begin to feel whole again.

Healing is not about erasing the past. It’s about learning how to live well with it, and letting it define you less and less. You don’t have to walk this path alone. Recovery is possible, and we’re here to walk alongside you.

When you are ready to address your concerns related to these and many other related mental health issues, please contact the counselors at Same Time Next Week? Counseling & Consultation, PLLC. We have counselors with immediate openings and are ready to help.