Trauma and PTSD Therapy
According to Bessel van der Kolk, trauma is specifically an event that overwhelms the central nervous system, altering the way we process and recall memories. “Trauma is not the story of something that happened back then, he adds. “It’s the current imprint of that pain, horror, and fear living inside people.”
A principle we use to guide therapeutic process is safety first and pacing. This means we help people establish internal and external stabilization through education, self-regulation and relational skill development prior to working with the most traumatic circumstances of one’s life. This way of sequencing treatment supports readiness for the safe and effective re-negotiation of traumatic memories.
