Trauma

Are you looking for help for trauma or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)? Many events in people’s lives can be traumatic. Traumatic events can include occurrences such as family and domestic violence, sexual abuse, motor vehicle and other accidents, or natural disasters.  Emotional and psychological abuse or the death of a loved one can also be experienced as traumatic.  When we have directly experienced, or witnessed, such traumatic events sometimes the intensity of the psychological and emotional responses can be very painful.  These responses are often very difficult to deal with on our own, and the effects of the trauma can persist even if the events themselves happened a long time ago (e.g., childhood abuse and/or childhood neglect).

Some people may develop PTSD, but even without such a diagnosis, many people can struggle with the aftermath of traumatic events. Psychological treatment for PTSD and trauma involves working with the ‘unfinished business’ of the past with a non-judgemental, experienced, well-trained and qualified psychologist.

Symptoms of unresolved trauma can include trouble sleeping, angry or impatient outbursts, intrusive images or disturbing dreams relating to the traumatic event(s), and feeling disconnected from other people.

It is not necessary to have all or any of these symptoms to be experiencing the negative effects of trauma as other trauma symptoms may also be present. For more information about PTSD and trauma, visit Phoenix Australia (Australia’s National Centre of Excellence in Posttraumatic Mental Health), or visit our Resources page, or contact us to make an appointment.

Evidence based trauma treatment includes Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR therapy for trauma and PTSD is endorsed by major international health organisations such as the World Health Organization, the American Psychological Association, the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council and Phoenix Australia. If you are interested in EMDR therapy for trauma or PTSD, please contact Tess Collie for more information and/or to make an appointment.