Trauma Therapy

Trauma therapy is a supportive and collaborative form of counseling that helps people process and heal from difficult or overwhelming experiences. It focuses on understanding how trauma affects the mind and body, building a sense of safety and stability, and developing skills to cope with distressing thoughts, emotions, and physical reactions. Trauma therapy moves at your pace, respects your boundaries, and aims to help you regain a sense of control, resilience, and well-being. At Pathway to Healing Therapy Services, your therapist will assess and discuss what is the most appropriate treatment approach for your needs. PTHTS offers various forms of trauma therapy including:

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

An evidence-based therapy designed to help the brain heal from traumatic or overwhelming experiences. When something distressing happens, the brain’s natural processing system can become overwhelmed, leaving memories “stuck” with the original emotions, beliefs, and body sensations. EMDR helps restart that natural healing process.

In EMDR, you work with a therapist to identify past experiences that continue to cause distress, along with current triggers and desired coping skills. While briefly focusing on a memory, you engage in guided bilateral stimulation, such as eye movements, tapping, or tones. This process allows the memory to be reprocessed so it becomes less emotionally charged and feels more distant or manageable.

EMDR is structured and phase-based, with a strong emphasis on safety, preparation, and pacing. You remain in control throughout the process and do not need to go into detailed descriptions of the trauma. Over time, EMDR can reduce symptoms such as intrusive memories, emotional reactivity, and negative self-beliefs, helping you feel more grounded, resilient, and present in daily life.

CPT (Cognitive Processing Therapy)

A structured, evidence-based treatment for trauma that focuses on the connection between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. After a traumatic experience, it’s common for people to develop beliefs about safety, trust, control, self-worth, or blame that can increase distress and keep symptoms going. CPT helps you identify these patterns and learn ways to examine and reshape thoughts that are inaccurate or unhelpful.

Treatment typically involves learning specific skills, practicing them both in and between sessions, and gradually applying them to trauma-related memories and situations. In CPT, it is optional, not required, to retell the details of the trauma but instead emphasizes understanding its impact and developing a more balanced and compassionate perspective. The goal is to reduce symptoms such as guilt, shame, fear, and avoidance while increasing a sense of clarity, empowerment, and emotional relief.