Trauma

Trauma affects far more than memories. It can shape how you see yourself, how you relate to others, how safe you feel in your body, and how you navigate the world day to day. Trauma can be a single overwhelming event, a pattern of chronic stress, or relational wounds accumulated over years. It might come from experiences that were life-threatening, but it can also arise from situations where your emotional needs were consistently ignored, minimized, or invalidated. Trauma is not only what happened—it is what happened inside you as a result.

At Catalyst Counseling, we understand trauma as an adaptive response to experiences that were too painful, too confusing, or too overwhelming to process at the time. Trauma is not a sign of weakness. It is evidence of how hard your nervous system worked to protect you. Healing begins when those survival strategies can be understood, honored, and gently reshaped.

What Trauma Can Feel Like

Trauma does not look one way. You may recognize yourself in some of these experiences:
Feeling constantly on alert or easily startled
Difficulty trusting others or feeling close in relationships
Emotional numbness or disconnection from your body
Persistent guilt, shame, or self-blame
Nightmares, flashbacks, or intrusive memories
Irritability, anger, or feeling “on edge”
Trouble concentrating or memory difficulties
Feeling disconnected from time, reality, or yourself
Chronic pain, fatigue, or health issues without a clear medical cause

For many people, trauma responses become so familiar that they don’t even appear “traumatic.” You may simply feel like you’re always bracing for something, always managing other people’s emotions, or always trying to stay in control. These are common signs of an overwhelmed nervous system—and they are completely understandable.

Trauma in Cultural and Historical Context

Trauma is deeply influenced by culture, identity, and lived experience. Experiences such as racism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, sexism, and intergenerational trauma can shape how safe you feel and how much space you believe you are allowed to take up. For immigrants and first-generation individuals, trauma may include cultural dislocation, family separation, pressure to succeed, or the emotional weight of carrying others’ hopes and expectations.

Our therapists practice with cultural humility. This means we strive to understand your world, your values, your family story, and the systemic factors that have shaped your life. We never impose our own interpretations or beliefs onto your experience. Instead, we listen, learn, and collaborate with you.

Types of Trauma We Work With

We support clients facing many forms of trauma, including:
Acute trauma, such as accidents or sudden events
Chronic trauma, including ongoing stress or unsafe environments
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) from long-term relational or developmental wounds
Childhood emotional neglect or attachment trauma
Sexual trauma
Medical trauma or traumatic childbirth
Collective, cultural, and intergenerational trauma
Trauma related to discrimination, marginalization, or systemic oppression

You don’t need to have a specific “label” for your experience to qualify for support. If something in your past still affects your present, therapy can help.

How We Approach Trauma Work
Healing trauma is delicate work. We never push you to retell your story before you’re ready. You get to set the pace, and your sense of safety always comes first. Our approach typically includes three foundational stages:

1. Safety and Stabilization
Before processing trauma, we focus on helping you feel grounded and supported. This may involve:
Nervous system regulation skills
Somatic grounding and breathwork
Identifying triggers and building coping tools
Strengthening internal and external resources
Understanding what safety means for you
Safety looks different for everyone, and we honor your lived experiences and cultural context as we build it together.

2. Processing and Meaning-Making
When you’re ready, we gently process the trauma in ways that feel aligned with your values and needs. We integrate a range of trauma-informed modalities, which may include:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Somatic therapy and polyvagal-informed interventions
Narrative therapy
Parts work or Internal Family Systems-informed approaches
Attachment-focused work
Mind–body integration and grounding strategies

Processing is not about reliving trauma—it’s about helping your brain and body release what they’ve been holding onto so you can move forward with more clarity and ease.

3. Integration and Reconnection
Trauma can make your world feel small. Healing helps you expand again—reconnecting with relationships, identity, pleasure, creativity, boundaries, and hope. This stage may involve:
Rebuilding self-trust
Developing healthier relational patterns
Strengthening boundaries
Cultivating self-compassion
Reconnecting with joy and purpose
Solidifying new coping strategies
Healing does not erase your past, but it can help you live in the present with more agency and less fear.

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
Trauma can make you feel isolated or ashamed, but connection is often the very thing that helps heal. Our therapists offer attuned, compassionate, culturally humble care that respects your pace, your identity, and your boundaries. We are here to support you—not to judge, pressure, or push.

We believe that healing unfolds through collaboration, trust, and a deep respect for your nervous system’s wisdom. You deserve a space where you can explore your story safely, make meaning of your experiences, and build a future that feels grounded, expansive, and hopeful.

Wherever you are in your healing journey, we’re honored to walk beside you.