Longing to create safety and stability within your mind and body.

Triggers and painful, destructive thought patterns can linger within you long after a traumatic event has ended. At Inner Balance, our compassionate therapists can help you work through trauma holistically, focussing on both the body and the mind. When supporting clients who have experienced trauma, our therapists incorporate effective evidence based therapeutic modalities, including body-centered (somatic) therapy, EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), Brainspotting, narrative therapy, and TF-CBT (trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy).

We treat trauma that is a result of any number of traumatic events or circumstances: an unhealthy family or relationship, the loss of a loved one, neglect, unwanted sexual experiences, attachment injury, life transitions, and much more.

Types of Trauma

You may have heard of categorizations called Big and Little “T” trauma. At Inner Balance we understand that no matter what the cause of trauma, the impact on our sense of safety in the world can be debilitating.

We can carry trauma after experiencing abuse, violence, neglect, physical injuries, and life-threatening experiences, but we can also experience trauma as a result of common upsetting events. Going through a divorce, moving to a new city or school, losing a friendship or other important relationship, and common distressing experiences can also live in our bodies and minds as trauma.

Effective Trauma Therapies

Working with an Inner Balance therapist to process and heal from trauma, may include developing coping skills for the effects of trauma on your current lived experience, learning to notice and bring attention to your body’s reactions and responses, or reframing the narrative of your life to shift into a more empowered story. All of these tools can help you begin to let go of the past, and start to live with more peace in the present.

Somatic Therapy

Bodies hold onto unprocessed trauma, which can manifest as physical symptoms that cause you to feel unsafe in your body. This might show up in several ways:

  • Flashbacks

  • Chronic pain

  • Gastrointestinal issues

  • Muscle tension

  • Backaches

  • Feelings of hopelessness

  • Depression

  • Poor sleep

  • Migraines & more 54

Trauma is stored at the subcortical level and needs to be released in ways that talk therapies cannot address. Somatic therapy honors the mind-body connection by directly addressing these emotional manifestations in the body and treating trauma at the root level. In a somatic therapy session, your therapist will incorporate body-centered practices like meditation, breathwork, yoga or other movement exercises. By bringing awareness to these emotional manifestations and engaging in restorative, body- centered practices, you can learn to feel safe in your body even as you explore traumatic memories and painful emotions. 3 2

EMDR

Many clients find lasting benefits from EMDR in fewer sessions than talk therapy. It is renowned by leading health organizations and high-profile individuals as a groundbreaking and effective treatment for trauma. In session, you will focus on specific memories while engaging bilateral stimulation: guided eye movements, taps, or sounds. The paired engagement helps rewire how the brain processes and stores traumatic memories, allowing you to move forward with new adaptive beliefs and lowered emotional and physical distress. EMDR attends to the past, present, and future and contains 8 phases: history-taking, preparation, assessment, desensitization, installation, body scan, closure, and reevaluation. 21

Brainspotting

David Grand, PhD created Brainspotting with the idea that the places we look influence how we feel. By releasing trauma stored in the body, Brainspotting helps reset painful memories in both the body and brain. It can help improve physical pain and negative thought patterns, boost sleep and energy levels, and ease the impact of painful memories.

Specific eye positions, or “brainspots”, are connected to trauma stored deeply in the subcortical levels of our brain. In session, your therapist will use the eye positions to locate, focus, process, and release emotion and physical symptoms, tapping into your body’s natural self-scanning and self-healing. 1 Deep breathing and bilateral sound will help you ease into a state of mindfulness and connect with feelings in your body. When you are ready, your therapist will guide you to find the brainspot, feel where you are stuck, and work with you to process any feelings that surface. 4 3

Access Inner Healing

Inner peace, ease, and self-acceptance are within your reach. If you’re feeling overwhelmed and stuck, reaching out to a therapist is a first step that you can take today. While all our therapists use effective and evidence-based modalities, you want to find the therapist and modality that will be the right fit for your journey. Schedule a free consultation call to get a feel for what the sessions might be like and ask any questions you might have about starting the process.

References

  1. About brainspotting. Brainspotting. (2024, September 18). https://brainspotting.com/about-brainspotting/

  2. Frequent questions. EMDR Institute – Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy. (2024, January 3). www.emdr.com/frequent-questions

  3. Salamon, M. (2023, July 7). What is somatic therapy?. Harvard Health. www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-is-somatic-therapy-202307072951

  4. Theodora Blanchfield, A. (2024, January 16). What to know about brainspotting therapy. Verywell Mind. www.verywellmind.com/brainspotting-therapy-definition-techniques-and-efficacy-5213947

  5. van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin Books.