1. Understanding Trauma

What Is Trauma?

Trauma results from overwhelming experiences that exceed our ability to cope. This can include:

• Abuse (physical, emotional, sexual)
  
• Neglect
  
• Domestic violence
  
• Combat or first responder experiences
  
• Car accidents
  
• Loss of a loved one (Grief Therapy)
  
• Medical trauma
  
• Spiritual/religious trauma (Spiritual Concerns Therapy)
  
• Attachment wounds from early relationships (Attachment Issues Therapy)
  

How Trauma Affects You

• Mind: intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, shame, distrust
  
• Body: chronic tension, fatigue, sleep disturbances
  
• Emotions: anxiety, depression, irritability, numbness
  
• Relationships: fear of intimacy, hypervigilance, withdrawal
  

Every person’s trauma experience is unique. Recovery must honor that uniqueness.

Explore our full Trauma Therapy services to learn how we tailor care.

2. The Principles of Trauma Recovery

At Become The Way, trauma recovery is guided by three key principles:

1️⃣ Safety

You must first feel emotionally and physically safe to begin healing.
Safety-building involves:

• Stabilizing daily life
  
• Learning grounding techniques
  
• Reducing self-criticism
  
• Developing supportive relationships
  

2️⃣ Empowerment

You are the expert of your experience. Recovery honors your pace, choices, and voice. We aim to cultivate:

• Self-compassion
  
• Confidence in your ability to heal
  
• Tools to manage triggers
  

3️⃣ Connection

Trauma often isolates. Healing happens in connection—with trusted others, therapists, and a compassionate community.
See how we cultivate healing connections through our Individual Therapy and Coaching Services.

3. Foundational Trauma Recovery Steps

Step 1: Name and Acknowledge Your Trauma

Many clients begin with uncertainty:
“Was that really trauma?”
“Others had it worse—do I have the right to feel this way?”

You do. All trauma is valid.

Naming your experience is the first empowering act of healing.

Step 2: Build Safety and Stabilization

Before processing trauma, you must feel grounded. Safety steps include:

• Mindfulness: 5-4-3-2-1 grounding
  
• Breathwork: Box breathing, diaphragmatic breathing
  
• Body-based practices: Yoga, somatic experiencing
  
• Daily rhythms: Regular meals, sleep, movement
  

Stabilization lays the groundwork for deeper work.

Step 3: Learn to Manage Triggers

Triggers are reminders—internal or external—of past trauma. Learning to manage them involves:

• Recognizing personal triggers
  
• Using grounding tools when activated
  
• Practicing self-compassion (“This is an old pattern, not present danger.”)
  

Over time, your nervous system can learn new responses.

Step 4: Build a Support Network

Trauma can lead to isolation. Recovery involves intentional reconnection:

• Trusted friends and family
  
• Therapy groups
  
• Support communities
  
• Pets and nature
  
• Your therapy team (Our Team)
  

Connection provides regulation and resilience.

4. Deep Healing Practices

Process Traumatic Memories

When you feel stable, trauma-focused therapy helps process and integrate memories so they no longer control you.

Effective therapies include:

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
  
• Somatic Experiencing
  
• Trauma-focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
  
• Internal Family Systems (IFS)
  
• Mindfulness and compassion-based therapies
  

Our skilled therapists (see Carl Chinn, Katie Drummond, and Emily Jaskier) are trained in these approaches.

Reclaim Your Body

Trauma often creates disconnection from the body. Reconnection helps restore a sense of agency and vitality.

Practices include:

• Trauma-sensitive yoga
  
• Dance or creative movement
  
• Breathwork
  
• Somatic therapy
  

Cultivate Self-Compassion

Many trauma survivors struggle with shame and self-blame. Healing involves:

• Challenging inner critic voices
  
• Practicing self-forgiveness
  
• Treating yourself with the same kindness you would offer a friend
  

Self-compassion is a powerful antidote to trauma’s wounds.

5. When to Seek Professional Support

You do not have to do this alone.

Seek trauma therapy if you experience:

• Flashbacks or nightmares
  
• Dissociation (feeling detached from body or surroundings)
  
• Persistent anxiety or depression
  
• Chronic health problems linked to trauma (Chronic Pain Therapy)
  
• Relationship struggles (Relationship Stress Therapy)
  
• Difficulty trusting others
  
• Avoidance of reminders of the trauma
  

Therapy provides a safe, structured space to process and heal. Explore our Specialties to find the right path for your needs.

Our Prescriber Team can also support clients for whom medication may help stabilize mood, sleep, or anxiety during recovery.

6. Sustaining Recovery: Long-Term Resilience

Recovery is not linear. There will be moments of progress, setbacks, and growth. Sustainable healing involves:

Ongoing Self-Care

• Regular movement
  
• Mindful nutrition
  
• Quality sleep
  
• Creative expression
  

Continued Therapy and Coaching

Therapy is a long-term ally. Many clients find periodic therapy check-ins or coaching helpful even after acute recovery. Explore Coaching Services for life transitions.

Values and Purpose

Trauma can obscure meaning. Part of healing involves reconnecting to what matters:

• Relationships
  
• Creativity
  
• Advocacy
  
• Spirituality
  
• Career growth
  

Living a values-driven life reduces trauma’s hold.

Community and Connection

• Support groups
  
• Volunteering
  
• Deep friendships
  
• Therapeutic communities
  

Connection fosters regulation and belonging.

7. Your Next Step

If you see yourself in this guide, you are not alone.

Become The Way Psychotherapy offers:

• Trauma-focused individual therapy
  
• Specialized approaches (EMDR, IFS, Somatic, Mindfulness)
  
• Medication management if needed
  
• Coaching for building life beyond trauma
  
• Resources for self-study and healing (Resources)
  

You can begin with a free consultation via our Contact Us page. Together, we’ll match you with the therapist or coach best aligned with your needs.

Conclusion: The Path Forward

What gets in the way becomes the way.

Trauma recovery is not about forgetting—it is about transforming. Every step you take—naming your story, building safety, connecting, healing—is an act of profound courage.

At Become The Way, we are honored to walk this path with you.