Are you feeling stressed out?
Do you startle easily?
Are you unable to focus?
Is pain keeping you up at night?
Is it hard for you to have or maintain strong boundaries?
I can help you to feel calm again. Liberation from stress and chronic pain is possible. Sleep through the night again and feel a joy for life.
If you’ve never felt calm or had support in your life because of developmental trauma, over time, you can feel safe and have a sense of belonging.
Contact me and book a session either in person or via Skype. Or call to discuss how we can work together.
What is Stress?
Stress is a normal daily occurrence. How stress affe
ct you is your perception to an event.
A healthy nervous system will allow you to flow with the ups and down of life, as this chart represents.
You might feel shortness of breath or tension in your chest but soon all returns to normal and you are able to breathe again….unless….your nervous system get’s stuck in a survival response. Then you are unable to feel calm or settled no matter how hard you try.
What Causes Stress?
It is not an event that is stressful but it’s how your nervous system responds to it. Everyone is different and each person has an ability to “bounce back”. Unless…
An event is perceived as dangerous stress levels will be high and the possibility of getting stuck in a survival response increases. These responses are either fight, flight or freeze.
Any of the following examples can cause survival to kick in and you will either want to fight, run or shut down to protect yourself. These responses were meant to help you mobilize to protect yourself, however, they were meant to be a short term solution. You may be stuck in one causing shortness of breath, panic, anxiety or chronically tense muscles.
Everyday Examples Causing Pain and Stress:
- Car Accidents
- Falls
- Fights
Examples of the “Last Straw”, leaving you feeling like all hell has broken loose:
- Divorce/Seperation
- Surgery
- Death/Loss
- Robbery
Examples Causing Developmental Stress & Trauma:
- Abandonment/Neglect
- Attachment Ruptures
- Unable to Individuate/Separate
- Abuse (Sexual/Physical)
Traumatic examples leaving people in shock and feeling beside themselves:
- Terrorism
- Witnessing acts of violence
- War (for vets and those who grew up in areas of conflict)
Any one of these or a combination of less extreme events can cause people to become overwhelmed, dissociated, anxious or depressed.
Your body might be ridged or overly flexible.
You may feel a constant alertness and be unable to relax. Your jaw might be tight, same with the neck and shoulders.
You may not be able to sleep because your body is trying to keep you alert and safe.
Can I Heal From Traumatic Events That Have Left Me Feeling Hopeless?
Emphatically, Yes, luckily “trauma” is not a life sentence, the nervous system can be restored to its natural state of regulation. You can feel safe again and when you do your body will allow you to relax. You will learn to Self-Regulate, creating new neuro-pathways in your brain around safety.
Our work together is not a cognitive process, it is with the animal part of the brain, the hind brain or reptilian brain. It is the most ancient part of our brain and it’s language is sensations, not logic.
It may take a few sessions or many over time, for some people it takes years depending on their history and sensitivity. However, everyone has reported that after just one session they feel better, more calm.
Call me 310 463-5498 and we can chat about working together
More contact info.
