Trauma Recovery

In its simplest form, trauma is an intense bad, sad, or scary experience. Maybe you or another person were badly hurt; someone may have even died. Maybe you believed that you or someone else would be hurt or killed.

Common types of trauma that people experience are:

• Childhood physical, sexual, emotional abuse, or neglect
• Physical and sexual assault
  
• Natural disasters or fires
  
• Relationship violence
  
• Serious accidents or illnesses
  
• Sudden or violent death of a loved one
  
• Violence in the community  
  
• Living in a warzone or experiencing combat
  

People who have survived a trauma may experience things like:

• Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or sleeping all the time
• Loss of appetite, eating less, eating more, or vomiting after eating
  
• Intrusive thoughts or nightmares
  
• Using alcohol, drugs, food, or sex to help cope
  
• Avoiding people, places, or things that remind you of what happened
  
• Feeling physically or mentally exhausted all the time
  
• Intense feelings of guilt, fear, anger, or sadness that cannot be controlled
  
• Unexplained headaches, stomachaches, or other pain
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After a trauma our thoughts, behaviors, relationships, world views, even our bodies can be drastically altered. These changes impact not only the survivor, but those who care for them. 

At Atlas Counseling, we are trained in a variety of techniques to help decrease unwanted reactions, increase healthy coping skills, and support you and your loved ones as you create a new life where trauma is part of your past, not the defining part of your future.

If you are struggling after a trauma, or are struggling to support a trauma survivor, contact  Julie Mattingly to schedule an appointment.