PTSD AND TRAUMA THERAPY
Serving Kitchener-Waterloo, Milton, Oakville, London, and the surrounding areas, Anchoridge Counselling wants to help you with any trauma or PTSD you may be experiencing in your life.
While everyone goes through a terrifying experience at some point in their lives, some find it harder to cope than others. The easiest way to explain trauma is anything less than nurturing that causes a threat to our safety and changes our vision of ourselves and our place in the world. And from this, a person experiences high levels of emotional, psychological, and physical distress that disrupts their ability to function normally in day-to-day life.

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While some forms of trauma are more obvious, other forms may be more subtle, sometimes occurring over a long period of time rather than one overwhelming event. From bullying to verbal abuse to abandonment and neglect, trauma comes in as many forms, shapes, and sizes as the human race. That means experiencing trauma is part of the human condition. When you feel traumatized you are a normal, feeling, thinking being who has had a perspective shift that can be shocking, startling, disconcerting, and leave you feeling at a loss for how to respond.
Following a traumatic event or repeated trauma, people react in different ways, experiencing a wide range of physical and emotional reactions. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to think, feel, or respond to trauma. Some the symptoms of trauma include shock, denial, anger, guilt, shame, self-blame, fear, feeling numb or feeling emotionally overwhelmed.
You don’t just feel trauma emotionally, but physically as well:
Insomnia or nightmares
Racing heart
Aches and pains
Muscle tension
Edginess
Agitation or fatigue
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Trauma Therapy Can Help
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Understandably, people experiencing these types of reactions may believe there is something "wrong" with them. But, this is not the case. Your responses are normal reactions to abnormal events. The brain is simply adapting to the trauma to try to protect itself from any other threat. Usually, with time, the upset fades and you start to enjoy life again. But sometimes the trauma is so overwhelming that you find you cannot move on. If you went through a traumatic experience and are having trouble getting back to your regular life, reconnecting with others, and feeling safe again, you may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When left untreated, trauma can have a lasting influence on your present life decisions and relationships.
Can life actually get better?
You can move past the trauma in a healthy way, and support is available to help you heal from the past wounds. At Anchoridge Counselling, we understand trauma and its effects on the mind and body. Our team of therapists will evaluate each person individually to determine what type of treatment is best. Treatment is customized to fit the specific needs of each person.
Methods We Use During Trauma Therapy Include:
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Self- Compassion
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These help individuals cope with their trauma. We provide an outlet for helping you deal with the traumatic experiences in your life and ways to pursue healing and growth so you can move forward with a more positive mindset. There is no shame in reaching out. We will work with you to move past the trauma, so you can feel better and get your life back.

LEAH BURTON-SALIBA
MSW, RSW
OAKVILLE & MILTON
KRISTEN TURNER
RP
WATERLOO