Overwhelming Circumstances
Life can have some very overwhelming circumstances.
The reality is that there are many circumstances, family dysfunctions, social problems and systemic issues that can result in Toxic Stress, Trauma and Complex Trauma– many more than people realize.
Because of this, through no fault of your own, you may find yourself struggling or stuck inside the Symptoms of Toxic Stress, Trauma or Complex Trauma.
There are BIG CONSEQUENCES for not Recognizing and Recovering from Toxic Stress, Trauma or Complex Trauma.
You’ll Continue:
- Experiencing the Symptoms and Vicious Cycles of Toxic Stress and Trauma.
- Living What is a Really Hard way to Live because Stress and Trauma Use Up a lot of Energy and Effort.
- Experiencing the Far-Reaching Fall Out of Toxic Stress and Trauma.
- Being rooted in Dysregulation, Distress, and Defenses never quite able to reach calm, connection and capability.
- Having Your Growth and Development Thwarted because Toxic Stress and Trauma Impede the Unfolding of Potential.
- Being Exposed to the Internal Neurobiological Kindling Process of Stress Activation that contributes to Many Health Issues.
- Living Disconnected from Your SELF because Toxic Stress and Trauma obscure and/or fragment the self.
- To be Tethered to Painful Experiences from the Past and their Emotional Learning reliving, repeating and replaying.
- Contributing (without meaning to) to the Continuation of Cycles of Stress and Trauma either by being victimized or unintentionally victimizing others.
- Being Compromised in how you Show Up for the Most Important Relationships as a parent, partner and friend.
- Experiencing the Collateral Consequences of Toxic Stress and Trauma(s) in many areas of your Life: health, at work, finances, hobbies, contribution.
Problem, Possibility and Probability
It’s HARD to:
- Live with and be trapped inside the Many Symptoms of Toxic Stress, Trauma or Complex Trauma wanting to be and do things differently, not knowing how or not being able to despite our best intentions or efforts.
- Experience the negative impact that Toxic Stress, Trauma or Complex Trauma have on the different areas of of our lives whether parenting, intimate relationships, friendships, work, finances etc.
- Know that we are impacting the whole and not living into our potential because we are struggling or stuck with the Many Symptoms of Toxic Stress, Trauma or Complex Trauma.
Its POSSIBLE, even PROBABLE to:
- Transform through and to the other side of Toxic Stress, Trauma or Complex Trauma with recognition, resources and counselling support.
- Achieve regulation, recovery, resilience, and restored relationships (with self and others).
There are BIG BENEFITS for Recognizing and Recovering from Toxic Stress, Trauma or Complex Trauma.
You’ll:
- Free Yourself from the Far-Reaching Effects of Toxic Stress and/or Trauma.
- Be Supported to See and Understand What’s Happened, How It Affected You and to Respond in a way that Leads to Processing, Integrating and Moving Forward.
- Slowly and continually Free Up all of the energy and effort that living with Stress Related Conditions and Trauma takes.
- Reconnect With and engage from SELF more easily and consistently.
- Restart the Growth and Development Process toward your potential.
- Slow Down or Start to Reverse the Health Impacts of the Internal Neurobiological Kindling Process of stress activation.
- Break the Vicious Symptom Cycles and Start Moving Forward Again.
- Face and Grieve the past, reconsolidate outdated emotional learnings so you can Move Fully into the Present and Look Toward the Future.
- Break the Long-Lasting and often Recurring Patterns of that repeat over a lifetime and often over generations.
- Restore your Relational Ability to Engage in Healthy Ways as a Parent, Partner and Friend.
- Halt the Collateral Consequence of Toxic Stress and Trauma(s) in the many areas of your life and Develop the Internal Resources to bring these Areas back to Stability and Maybe even Start to Level Up your Impact in the world.
- Gain Post-Traumatic Growth such as Increased Compassion, Meaning, Presence, Wisdom, and Resilience.
Working Together on Recovery
Counselling is a collaborative process. While a counsellor is the expert on therapeutic process and has knowledge in many areas, you are the expert on your own goals, life, and experiences. Working together is essential.
If you’re ready for counselling support to recover from Toxic Stress, Trauma or Complex Trauma have a look at “How Working Together Works”.
Counselling Areas
I work in person with Edmonton based adults, or virtually within Alberta.
I provide counselling support related to Toxic Stress and Trauma with a special focus on Complex Trauma (which occurs in response to significant, prolonged, or recurring traumas and results in a more global impact on a person and has more involved symptoms).
This means I work with:
- Toxic Stress and various Stress Related Conditions such as burnout, compassion fatigue, moral distress and all of the contributing aspects such as self-care, belief systems and coping skills.
- Typical Effects of Trauma such as symptoms related to intrusion, arousal and reactivity, avoidance, numbing and dissociation.
- Additional Effects of Complex Trauma such as issues with emotional and nervous system dysregulation, shame, self-worth, self-concept and abandonment of self, learned helplessness and poor efficacy, insecure attachment styles, trauma bonding and relationship issues, addictions as a means of managing internal distress, as well as somatic distress and related physical illnesses.
Safety
Client Defined Goals
Intentional Approach
Wholistic
Recovery Roadmap
6 Ps
Client Sheets
High Benefits: Low Risk
50 Minute Sessions
Accessible Fees
Flexible Format
Regulated Practice
Recovery is a beautifully messy and elegant multi-related and multi-directional journey through phases and areas.
The Recovery Roadmap has four phases (shown below) and typically six areas of focus across these phases including: accessing safety; realness and response; story integration; self leadership; supportive lifestyle; and life engagement. Recovery in any one area starts to shift functioning in the other areas.
There is different emphasis within the phases and areas of focus depending on the level of severity (toxic stress, compared to trauma and complex trauma).
STABILIZATION focuses on accessing safety and learning to be real and responsive rather than engaging in avoiding or reacting.
PROCESSING involves moving through and coming to terms with stressful/traumatic material until it is integrated in your story.
DEVELOPMENT involves expanding the self, its leadership and your abilities to better relate with life in self-supportive ways.
MOVING FORWARD involves a pulling all of the changes through into your larger life in a manner than reinforces and integrates recovery.
Take the Next Steps
When we are experiencing Toxic Stress, Trauma and especially Complex Trauma we are stuck in survival. We feel badly and spend time wondering what’s wrong with us. We use distraction and numbing to deal with life. We deny our pain while turning our attention to external validation. We might project our distressing feelings onto others.
We usually feel a long way from being the hero.
Being the hero in your story is not about what you were able to survive although that shaped you and informs the story. It is about choosing recovery and moving through the transformation so you can expand into the best of yourself, and bring that to your life, to others and the world.
1.
Consider Your Symptoms and Struggles as they Might Relate to Toxic Stress, Trauma or Complex Trauma.
2.
Consider Your Stakes. Find reasons to move away from the negative consequences, and towards the many benefits.
3.
Think about the Recovery Changes you want and the Support that would be most helpful.
4.
5.
Start the Counselling Process.
