Trauma Therapy

Trauma Therapy for Healing, Understanding, and Moving Forward

Trauma doesn't always look the way we expect.

You may have experienced something clearly traumatic, or you may simply know that certain experiences from your past continue to affect how you feel, think, relate to others, or respond to stress.

Maybe you feel anxious or on edge. Maybe you struggle to trust people, have difficulty setting boundaries, feel disconnected from yourself, or find yourself reacting strongly to situations that don't seem to explain the intensity of your response.

You may even wonder, “Why am I still affected by this?”

Trauma therapy can help you understand these patterns, develop greater emotional safety, and begin processing experiences that may still be affecting you.

At Saltwater Wellness Counseling, I offer trauma-focused therapy for adults in Holladay and the Salt Lake City area, as well as secure telehealth throughout Utah.

What Is Trauma?

Trauma isn't defined only by what happened. It can also be shaped by how your mind and nervous system experienced an event and what happened afterward.

Trauma can result from a single overwhelming experience, but it can also develop through repeated experiences such as chronic stress, emotional neglect, difficult relationships, bullying, instability, or growing up in an environment where you didn't consistently feel safe or supported.

Sometimes people don't identify their experiences as trauma until much later.

You don't have to use the word “trauma” to describe what you've been through. If something continues to affect your sense of safety, relationships, emotions, or ability to feel present, it's worth exploring.

How Trauma Can Show Up

Trauma can affect much more than memories.

You might notice:

Anxiety or chronic worry
Feeling constantly on guard
Panic or feeling easily overwhelmed
Difficulty relaxing or feeling safe
Intrusive memories or unwanted thoughts
Avoiding certain people, places, conversations, or situations
Emotional numbness or disconnection
Difficulty trusting others
People-pleasing or difficulty setting boundaries
Shame or harsh self-criticism
Perfectionism or feeling like you have to stay in control
Relationship difficulties
Strong emotional reactions that seem difficult to explain
Difficulty identifying or expressing your needs
Feeling responsible for other people's emotions
Trouble staying present when emotions become intense

These responses aren't signs that you're broken.

They may be ways your mind and nervous system learned to protect you.

You Don't Have to Tell Your Whole Story on Day One

One of the biggest concerns people have about trauma therapy is the fear that they'll immediately be asked to talk in detail about everything they've experienced.

That's not how I approach trauma therapy.

Building safety and trust comes first.

We'll take time to understand what you're experiencing, identify your goals, and develop strategies that can help you feel more grounded and supported.

When—and if—you are ready to explore difficult experiences more deeply, we'll do so gradually and collaboratively.

What Does Trauma Therapy Look Like?

There isn't one way to do trauma therapy.

Your treatment will depend on your experiences, your goals, and what feels appropriate for you.

Therapy may include:

Understanding your responses

We can explore why certain situations trigger anxiety, shutdown, anger, fear, or other strong reactions and how those responses may have developed.

Building safety and regulation

Before processing difficult experiences, we may focus on grounding, mindfulness, emotional regulation, boundaries, and other skills that help you feel more stable.

Processing difficult experiences

When you're ready, we may use trauma-focused approaches to help you process experiences that continue to affect you.

Changing painful beliefs

Trauma can sometimes leave people with beliefs such as “I'm not safe,” “I'm not good enough,” “I can't trust anyone,” or “Everything is my fault.” Therapy can help you examine and develop more compassionate, adaptive perspectives.

Improving relationships

Healing can also involve understanding how past experiences influence the way you connect with others, communicate, set boundaries, and respond to conflict.

Trauma Therapy Approaches

I don't believe trauma therapy should be a one-size-fits-all process.

Depending on your needs, therapy may incorporate several approaches.

EMDR Therapy

EMDR can help you process distressing experiences and memories that continue to affect you emotionally or physically.

Rather than simply talking about what happened, EMDR uses a structured process to help you work with memories, emotions, beliefs, and body sensations associated with difficult experiences.

Learn more about EMDR therapy →

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

IFS provides a compassionate way to understand different parts of yourself and the protective roles they may play.

For example, one part of you may be anxious and constantly scanning for danger, while another may try to keep everyone happy or avoid conflict.

IFS can help you approach these patterns with curiosity rather than self-judgment.

Learn more about IFS therapy →

CBT and Mindfulness

CBT can help you identify patterns of thinking and behavior that may be contributing to distress, while mindfulness can help you develop greater awareness of your thoughts, emotions, and physical sensations without immediately reacting to them.

These approaches may be incorporated into trauma therapy when they support your goals.

Trauma and the Nervous System

When you've experienced trauma or chronic stress, your nervous system can learn to respond to certain situations as though danger is still present.

You may notice yourself becoming anxious, tense, hypervigilant, numb, shut down, or overwhelmed even when you logically know you're safe.

Understanding these responses can help you move away from asking:

“What's wrong with me?”

and toward:

“What is my nervous system trying to protect me from?”

This shift can create space for greater self-compassion and new ways of responding.

Trauma and Anxiety

Trauma and anxiety can be closely connected.

Sometimes anxiety is related to experiences that taught you that the world is unpredictable, that you have to stay in control, or that something bad could happen at any moment.

Other times, anxiety has multiple contributing factors.

Therapy can help us understand what is underneath your anxiety rather than simply trying to make the symptoms disappear.

If anxiety is one of your primary concerns, you can also learn more about anxiety therapy and how we can approach anxiety from a trauma-informed perspective.

Childhood and Complex Trauma

Not all trauma comes from one event.

Repeated experiences during childhood—such as emotional neglect, instability, criticism, family conflict, abuse, or feeling responsible for other people's emotions—can influence how you understand yourself and relationships later in life.

You may have learned to:

Stay quiet to avoid conflict
Take care of everyone else
Hide your emotions
Work hard to earn approval
Avoid asking for help
Be constantly prepared for something to go wrong
Put other people's needs before your own

These strategies may have made sense at the time.

As an adult, however, they may leave you feeling exhausted, disconnected, anxious, or unsure of what you actually want.

Trauma therapy can help you understand these patterns without blaming yourself for developing them.

Trauma Therapy Is Not About Forgetting

Healing doesn't mean pretending something didn't happen.

It doesn't mean that you have to forgive someone, minimize what happened, or become unaffected by your past.

Instead, trauma therapy can help you develop a different relationship with your experiences so that the past has less control over your present.

The goal is not to erase your story.

It's to help you feel more choice, safety, connection, and freedom in your life now.

What Makes My Approach Different?

I believe trauma therapy works best when you feel respected, understood, and involved in the process.

My approach is trauma-focused, mindfulness-based, and relational. I draw from EMDR, IFS, CBT, and other therapeutic approaches depending on what fits your needs.

Rather than assuming that one technique will work for everyone, we'll work together to understand your experiences and create a treatment plan that respects your goals and pace.

You don't need to come to therapy knowing exactly what you need.

That's something we can figure out together.

You Are More Than What Happened to You

The things you've experienced may have shaped you, but they don't have to define the rest of your life.

If you're tired of feeling anxious, disconnected, overwhelmed, or stuck in patterns that seem connected to your past, trauma therapy can provide a place to slow down, understand what's happening, and begin moving toward something different.

You don't have to know exactly where to begin.

Trauma Therapy in Holladay and Throughout Utah

I offer in-person trauma therapy in Holladay, near Salt Lake City, as well as secure telehealth throughout Utah.

Online therapy can be a convenient option if you live outside the Salt Lake City area or feel more comfortable participating in therapy from home.

Start With a Free Consultation

I offer a free 15-minute consultation where we can talk about what you're experiencing, what you're hoping will change, and whether trauma therapy feels like the right next step for you.