We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy is an integrative approach for healing trauma that focuses on reconnecting the body with the mind. 

When a traumatic event occurs, many individuals experience overwhelming psychological and somatic symptoms such as heightened nervous system arousal, flashbacks, dissociation, and emotional reactivity.  Whereas traditional psychotherapy focuses mostly on thoughts and feelings, Sensorimotor psychotherapy also addresses the physical manifestations of the trauma that many sufferers struggle with.  

This holistic method helps clients to develop new coping mechanisms which connect the body and mind and also help the individual learn to transition out of the fight/flight response and into a higher-functioning mode where they better enjoy their lives. 

CBT is a treatment for trauma that helps clients to learn to understand and evaluate the connection between thoughts and feelings related to the trauma and helps clients build more effective coping skills. 

While cognitive-behavioral therapy doesn’t directly address the body and the physical effects of trauma, it can be very helpful when used in addition to a body-oriented psychotherapy (i.e., Sensorimotor). 

For more information on cognitive-behavioral therapy,

DBT is an empirically supported type of therapy that helps individuals learn to manage overwhelming feelings and self-destructive behaviors related to the trauma.  DBT integrates mindfulness, emotional regulation, distress tolerance and skill training related to meeting your goals, improving your relationships, and improving your self-respect.   

Traumatic experiences vary significantly from person to person and are not limited to a one-time event that threatens someone’s safety, such as a near-death experience.  Any participation in or witnessing of an event that causes you to feel overwhelmed can be perceived as a trauma.  Furthermore, the symptoms of trauma can also result from recurrent stressful situations, such as witnessing the physical abuse of a loved one, receiving emotional abuse as a child, being bullied at school, or struggling with a serious illness.   

• Fear and Anxiety 
• Shock 
• Denial 
• Hopelessness 
• Sadness 
• Depression 
• Spontaneous crying 
• Panic attacks 
• Irritability 
• Memory lapses 
• Distractibility 
• Difficulty making decisions 
• Guilt or shame 
• Mood swings 
• Emotionally numb or disconnected 
• Isolating yourself 
• Difficulty concentrating 
• Scanning the environment for danger 
• Feeling like something bad is going to happen 
• Feeling out of control 
• Avoiding things that remind you of trauma 
• Feeling threatened 
• Feeling like people take advantage of you 
• Feeling worthless 
• Difficulty maintaining close relationships 
• Problems with choosing appropriate relationships  

• Sleep disturbances 
• Eating disturbances 
• Fatigue 
• Agitations 
• Feeling jumpy 
• Racing heartbeat 
• Muscle tension, aches and pains 
• Sexual problems 
• Chronic unexplained pain
• Intrusive images or thoughts 
• Flashbacks 
• Nightmares