Have you experienced trauma? If asked that question, many of us would answer no. We’ve never had a life-threatening experience, lost everything in a natural disaster or been the victim of a violent crime. But what if someone asked you if anything had happened to you during your lifetime that contradicted your values and beliefs about the way life should have been? Perhaps your answer might be different.
- an unfulfilling marriage
- a prodigal child
- the death of a loved one
- separation or divorce (your own or your parents)
- being physically, emotionally or verbally abused
- witnessing ongoing physical, emotional or verbal abuse
- not feeling important or valued in a significant relationship
Those events leave a lasting imprint on our brains and affect us in ways we may not even realize. Contrary to much popular opinion, the way in which you are affected by trauma has nothing to do with your education, your intelligence, your spiritual maturity or your character. It has to do with your brain. Traumatic experiences affect your brain and cause chemical changes in your brain over which you have no control. You can’t prevent it from happening, nor can you make the damage go away through will power. 1
Research has revealed a powerful relationship between our emotional experiences as children and our physical and mental health as adults. Not only does childhood trauma have an affect on us psychologically, but those experiences are also often converted into medical conditions later in life, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, STDs and alcoholism. 2
Unresolved trauma has potential life-long effects. There is a proven link between trauma and depression, anxiety, addiction, suicide and other emotional disorders. It is clear that time does not heal all wounds and that we don’t “just get over” some things, not even 50 years later. 2
Perhaps it is time for you to take charge of your life, your health and your future by resolving your past.
Trauma Resolution Therapy is a five-phase structured process that resolves trauma at the source. Rather than focusing on symptoms (known in TRT as survival responses), TRT focuses on resolving the trauma. When the trauma is resolved and the source of the symptoms is no longer present, the need for the survival responses is eliminated and the symptoms disappear.
At JFBC, TRT is offered in a group setting with a trained TRT facilitator. An individual assessment and orientation is required to determine if TRT is a good fit for you.
11 Colson, Denice. Stop Treating Symptoms and Start Resolving Trauma! 2004, xiv.
2 Felitti VJ. The Relationship of Adverse Childhood Experiences to Adult Health: Turning gold into lead.
Download TRT Brochure
Book Recommendations
Stop Treating Symptoms and Start Resolving Trauma! by Denice Colson
The Truth About Depression by Charles Whitfield