Therapy and Treatment for Complex Trauma (CPTSD) & PTSD in Madison, MS, & Statewide via Telehealth
Firstly, what is trauma and what it is not? Trauma is anything that overwhelms our biological, psychological, social, and spiritual ability to deal with it in the moment. So, something traumatic can be a specific experience, like suddenly losing a loved one, or it can be a relationship or environment that is more chronic, such as living with an abusive parent. This second type of trauma is often referred to as developmental trauma, and excellent research (opens in has shown that it impacts our functioning and development different than isolated events of severe distress. And that experience of being overwhelmed and robbed of our agency is painful for the brain and nervous system; so damaging, that the safety systems meant to keep us alive hold on to those painful memories in order to keep us safe. And those memories do not have to be stored explicitly (such as how you might recall what you ate for breakfast), they can be remembered implicitly as well (i.e. in our bodies in the form of heaviness, tension, pain, nausea, panic, shallow breathing, and more). Trauma is not simply something stressful or hard. It's an experience that leaves us feeling stuck. A moment or season that seems to have derailed our previous trajectory, and now we are left trying to cope with the fallout.
How Do Identify if I Have Experienced Trauma or have PTSD?
It's important to realize that comparative grief is a poor way to identify if someone has or has not been through trauma. It is natural, especially for empathetic individuals, to compare what they have been through with others. Often, they conclude that they have known or heard of someone who has been through worse things, and so by comparison their difficulties should not qualify as "trauma." However, it is quite common for victims of severe abuse, sexual assault, and veterans who have seen active combat to express similar sentiments. Perhaps, part of the reason we resist identifying trauma in our own lives is because we are so familiar with chaos that it's hard to image life being any different. We also might be tempted to deny our trauma to avoid the difficulty of working through it. But there is good reason to start that journey now (keep reading).
What Do Trauma Symptoms Look Like in Children, Adolescents, and Adults?
A better way to identify if a person is experiencing unprocessed trauma is to examine how their body and nervous system behaves. Are there certain places or experiences that are strictly avoided? Do certain relationships turn out poorly in confusingly similar ways? Is there compulsivity/addiction present, meaning patterns of powerlessness that a person just can't seem to break? Are their intense bodily responses to certain experiences? Are nightmares, ADHD-like symptoms, or anxiety/panic attacks present? These are all good indications that a person may be dealing with unprocessed trauma.
Likewise, one of the two more common patterns we observe in trauma survivors are called trauma reactions and trauma reenactments. Take the classic example of having an alcoholic parent. One child who grew up in this home may cope by hating alcohol, joining a church that condemns its usage, and becoming uncontrollably angry or upset when loved ones drink. This is called a trauma reaction. The person has experienced powerlessness as a child and now has crafted a world where they will never be made to experience that same kind of powerlessness again. Those who have trauma reacted can struggle with anger, controlling behaviors, distrust, and rigidity. The other child of this alcoholic parent may end up marrying another addict or being an addict themselves. This is called a trauma reenactment. This person has tried to remaster their trauma by unconsciously participating in experiences where they can reclaim their sense of lost agency. However, this only places them in further vulnerable and likely traumatizing environments, creating a self-destructive loop of reoccurring problems. Those who have coped with trauma reenactments can struggle with passivity, a lack of self-compassion, naiveite, and codependency.
How Do We Heal From Complex Trauma and PTSD?
We know from excellent research that the right kind of therapy can have substantial benefits for trauma survivors. This type of therapy must be more than only process-oriented therapy designed to make the patient feel comfortable and understood. Those things are essential for any successful therapy, but trauma-focused therapy must also been directive and experiential. Our therapists understand that you are coming to them as your mental health expert to help fix their problems; it should be confusing to patients when their therapists treat them as if the patient knows the best paths to healing. Too often, we hear from patients who have spent countless hours and money on therapy that never progressed beyond them being heard and understood. This is why we use several approaches and tools, such as EMDR, (opens in Written Exposure Therapy (WET), (opens in and Story Informed Trauma Therapy (SITT) (opens in in order to guide our patients through an evidence-based path to healing. We also know that the right types of medication (opens in and neurofeedback training can have substantial benefits for trauma survivors as well. That's why we offer all of these solutions under the same roof - in order to help you to start feeling better, sooner.
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Insurances and Pay Structure
We work with these major insurance companies, which often provide coverage for mental health. Contact us to inquire about your particular plan and coverage, and we can help in determining what your out of pocket costs will be.
We also take HSA and FSA cards.
For individual psychotherapy on a self-pay rate, our therapists start at $190/per session. We work on a sliding-scale basis and are happy to discuss a lowered fee on an as-needed basis.
Your Mississippi Experts in Multi-Disciplinary Mental Health Care
Start Feeling Better. Get a plan and solutions to improve your mental health. If you've come to this site, you're likely feeling stuck on your mental health journey. You're not alone and you CAN get better. We can help.
Therapy, psychological testing, medication management, and neurofeedback training. We are your all-in-one mental health clinic in Madison, Mississippi and statewide via telehealth.
Challenges We Can Help With
Emotional Struggles
Anxiety
Depression
Stress
Burnout
Relational Challenges
Boundaries
Codependency
Relationship problems
Life & Loss
Grief
Trauma
Spiritually related issues
Identity & Mental Health
Bipolar
Borderline personality disorder
Severe psychopathology
Addiction