Still Carrying the Weight of Something That Happened Years Ago?
Can you remember a time when life felt different?
Maybe you felt lighter. You laughed more easily. You didn't second-guess yourself quite so much. You could relax and enjoy what was happening around you without always wondering what might happen next.
Life may not have been perfect. But you felt more like yourself.
Somewhere along the way, something changed.
Maybe now you go through life feeling numb. Not really connecting with the people around you. Not experiencing the excitement and joy you once did. Feeling like there has to be more to life than this.
Maybe you just feel stuck.
You know you want something to change. You just aren't sure how to get from where you are to where you want to be.
Did You Know Past Trauma Can Impact Your Life Today?
Something may have happened years ago. You got through it. You moved forward with your life. Maybe you rarely even think about it anymore.
But that doesn't always mean it stopped impacting you.
Past trauma can sometimes show up in ways you may not recognize as connected to trauma.
Feeling anxious or on edge, even when everything seems okay.
Overreacting to something small—and later wondering, Why did that bother me so much?
Replaying conversations in your mind, thinking about what you should have said or done differently.
Having a hard time relaxing, as though you're always waiting for the next problem.
Feeling disconnected from people you love, even when they're right there with you.
Feeling like you're never enough.
People-pleasing—putting everyone else's needs ahead of your own.
Trauma Can Show Up in Your Body
Trauma doesn't only affect how you think and feel. Sometimes it shows up in your body too.
You may feel tired even after a full night's sleep. Your body may feel tense without you realizing it. Maybe you clench your jaw or grind your teeth at night.
You may have trouble relaxing or feel like you always have to be doing something. You may struggle to sleep or find it difficult to concentrate.
When your mind and body have spent so much time on alert, it can be exhausting.
Trauma Can Leave an Imprint
Trauma can actually affect the way your brain responds to what is happening around you.
When something frightening or painful happens, your brain learns from the experience. It remembers what was dangerous and what it needed to do to protect you.
Time passes. But the imprint remains.
What your mind learned from the past can become like a lens through which you see what is happening today. You may have been looking through it for so long that you don't even realize it's there.
Someone is quiet.
I did something wrong.
Someone needs some space.
They're going to leave me.
Someone criticizes you.
I'm not enough.
Those reactions aren't random.
At one time, they may have had a purpose. They may have helped protect you.
But what happens when the danger is over, and your mind is still trying to protect you?
What happened may be years behind you. But your mind can continue reacting to things happening today based on what it learned then.
You may keep people at a distance without really knowing why. You may find yourself reading the room, watching someone's expression or listening closely to the tone of their voice. You may work hard to keep everyone happy or avoid conflict because something inside you still feels like it needs to stay on guard.
The danger may be gone.
What once protected you can now become a barrier—keeping you from trusting people, letting them get close, and forming the relationships you want.
In trauma therapy, we help the emotional mind get the good news that your thinking mind already knows.
It's over.
The danger is gone.
What happened then is not happening now.
The barrier can come down.
You can start living in the present.
You may have given it time. Lots of time. But time alone doesn’t always heal trauma.
Sometimes healing needs a little help.
Trauma counseling can help your mind let go of what it no longer needs to carry.
Your mind knows how to heal. It does it every day.
Healing Doesn't Have to Mean Reliving Painful Memories
You will NOT be asked to talk in detail about the worst day of your life.
You have already lived through it once.
That was enough.
You don't have to relive it to heal.
Your mind already knows what happened.
There is no need to reopen old wounds.
In trauma therapy, we'll work together using a gentle approach.
One that allows your mind to do what it already knows how to do.
Heal.
You'll still remember what happened.
But it won't feel the same anymore.
The sharp edges soften.
The pain no longer comes with the memory.
The memory remains, but it no longer controls how you feel today.
"But... Was It Really Trauma?"
Maybe you're wondering whether what happened to you really qualifies as trauma.
Many people ask that question.
Trauma isn't always one dramatic event.
Sometimes it is.
Maybe there was an accident, an assault, a frightening medical experience, a sudden loss, or one moment in your life that you just can't seem to put behind you.
Or maybe it goes back to childhood.
You may have grown up in a chaotic household, never knowing when things might explode. Maybe you learned to watch people's moods, stay out of the way, or do whatever you could to keep the peace.
You knew something wasn't right. But you may never have thought of your childhood as traumatic.
Sometimes it's years of criticism.
Being bullied.
Growing up walking on eggshells.
Feeling unseen...
unheard...
or never quite good enough.
Sometimes it's what happened.
Sometimes it's what was missing.
Whatever the experience...
If it continues to affect the way you think, feel, or experience life today...
You don't have to carry it anymore.
Trauma Therapy Can Help You Feel Like You Again
Trauma is not who you are.
It's something that happened to you.
You made it through something incredibly difficult.
That took remarkable strength.
Maybe it's time to let go of the pain you've been carrying.
You don't have to spend the rest of your life feeling anxious, constantly on guard, or emotionally exhausted.
Wouldn't you like to feel like yourself again?
Imagine waking up and no longer feeling weighed down by the past.
Feeling calmer.
Sleeping better.
Laughing more easily.
Being present with the people you love.
Simply feeling like yourself again.
You don't have to carry it anymore.
Working with a trauma therapist can help you get there.
If you're ready to take the next step, I'd be honored to talk with you.
About Cathy
Cathy Austin, LPC, NCC is the founder of Inspired by Hope Counseling and a trauma-informed counselor who has spent years helping adults through trauma therapy for trauma, PTSD, grief, anxiety and difficult life experiences.
She believes healing doesn't have to mean reliving the past or be painful.
Using neuroscience-based approaches, Cathy helps people gently take the sharp edges off painful memories so they can move forward feeling calmer, lighter, and more like themselves again.
She provides virtual counseling throughout Colorado.
Research: Bremner, J. D. (2006). Traumatic stress: effects on the brain. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 8(4), 445–461.
Traumatic stress: effects on the brain — PubMed Central
“I highly recommend Cathy Austin as a trauma-informed counselor and therapist. I have worked with Cathy for over 5 years. I have sent my family members to Cathy and the results have been truly remarkable. Cathy caters to her clients with acceptance and understanding; she has a remarkable ability to truly hear and understand her clients, helping them create the change they're looking for.”
— Catherine Warnock, LPC
Sexual trauma has long-lasting effects that can impact the way you see the world. Whether you experienced a single traumatic event or years of abusive treatment, the impact can be profound. Rapid Resolution Therapy can help you clear your mind of the trauma and therefore clear the emotional feelings that you experience thinking about the trauma.