Therapy for recovering from trauma / PTSD in Brooklyn, NY

Trauma is a universal experience, with roughly 60% of men and 50% of women experiencing some form of trauma at least once in their lives. About 6% of people in the US will develop PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, at some point in their lives (U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, 2021).

Trauma can happen to anyone and can seriously affect mental health. Traumatic experience is not a weakness. 

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

Adverse childhood experiences are potentially traumatic events experienced during childhood. Examples of these events include: 

The latest National Survey of Children’s Health data shows about 30% of children have experienced one ACE and about 14% of children experienced two or more (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2021). The presence of one or more ACEs can have lasting impacts later in life. 

Big T and Little T Trauma

Big T trauma can be roughly categorized as an event that most people would find traumatic, such as a car accident, war, natural disaster, or loss of a loved one.

Little T trauma is an event that is traumatic on a personal level, such as a painful breakup, loss of a pet, or bullying. Little T trauma can have as deep and lasting impacts as big T trauma, particularly when one has experienced a multitude of little T traumas throughout their lives.

Impacts of Trauma 

Trauma can impact not only our mental health but our physical well-being and sense of safety in the world. Typical trauma responses can include:

• Fight: facing any perceived threat aggressively.

• Flight: running away from the danger.

• Freeze: unable to move or act against a threat.

• Fawn: immediately acting to try to please to avoid any conflict.

At the same time, trauma can result in hypervigilance, an overactive nervous system, and an inability to manage triggers and regulate one’s emotions.Bessel van der Kolk’s pivotal book The Body Keeps the Score explains how we hold trauma on a cellular level in our bodies, and that our bodies are often reacting to threats well before our minds are even aware of the threats.

Treating Trauma and PTSD in Therapy 

There are many trauma-informed therapeutic modalities available. Dr. Moran utilizes Judith Herman’s Tri-Phasic, evidenced-based trauma treatment approach:

1. Establishing safety and stabilization

2. Processing the traumatic events

3. Healing and reconnection with self and community

Treating trauma is not linear and requires a foundation of strong skills such as grounding, emotional regulation, distress tolerance, self-compassion, positive self-talk, psychoeducation, somatic awareness, and more, also known as establishing safety and stabilization.

Trauma processing refers to exploring your past trauma from a safe place established in the present moment and being able to navigate triggers as they arise in the moment. Trauma processing should only be done within a safe therapeutic space with a trauma-informed therapist.

Healing from trauma might include learning how to make meaning from traumatic events, rewrite the narrative, and/or develop a more positive self-concept.