You did your research, made a call, and booked an intake… now what?
Congratulations on taking the first steps toward healing from trauma. In many ways these initial actions are the most challenging, so go ahead and give yourself some props! You’ve already started the process of healing by recognizing you could benefit from some support and following through on asking for it. This is a courageous act of self-care.
You may be feeling vulnerable, hopeful, anxious, excited, uncertain, fearful, or any combination of emotions as you await your first session. Questions like what to expect during a 90-minute intake, what does a regular 45-minute session look/feel like, or how to plan/prepare for therapy in general may be on your mind (or search history). This is completely normal!
As a trauma therapist, I hope that this overview provides clarity that eases your mind. Nothing is more important than you feeling safe and secure along your healing journey.
So, what does healing from trauma look like?
Trauma may fall into categories that can help us understand and treat it. I’m honored to support individuals and couples affected by trauma including childhood, complex, sexual, and intergenerational trauma. Many overarching theories and approaches apply across the board and it’s also true that the way trauma has been experienced and stored is as unique to each individual as the prints on their fingers. That’s why I will always remain aware of the individuality of your story and its impact on you, open to what presents itself session by session, and flexible with my approach.
The general therapeutic process of healing trauma includes these elements:
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Creating and expanding present-moment safety
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Intake We begin with a 90-minute intake. The beauty of this longer initial session is that we can move slowly as we get to know each other. As I collect your early childhood, family, and trauma history, I’ll be getting to know you and your nervous system. You may have packed your trauma away neatly into the closets of your mind and body. This has brilliantly served the purpose of keeping you stable and functional. To create safety and avoid re-traumatization, I will avoid barging in and tearing open those boxes.
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Therapeutic Relationship From our intake through our first few sessions together, we’ll build a safe container for you to show up fully. As you interact with me and my nervous system, you’ll build trust and comfort in our therapeutic relationship. At times I will be gentle and quiet, at others I will be more direct and challenging. My intention is for you to feel seen, heard, felt, supported, inspired, and above all, safe.
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Resources The initial phase of trauma therapy will emphasize building a toolbox of resources that help you regulate your nervous system inside and outside of session. These may include visualizations, breathwork, movements, internal resources (strengths), external resources (supports), or activities that support you in feeling grounded, safe, and calm.
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Re-learning and re-imagining yourself
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Psychoeducation As we move deeper into the healing work, I will provide you with psychoeducation about topics within trauma, neuroscience, mental health, wellness, and the like. The goal is to normalize and affirm your experiences and help you make sense of their impact. You will learn and validate the ways you’ve adapted to trauma to survive and imagine a new way of being.
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Somatic Awareness You may have heard that trauma is stored in the body. Somatic awareness, or attunement to the sensations of your body, will be developed to gently make the unconscious, deeply held patterns of your nervous system conscious. Together we will map your nervous system, creating a felt sense of your trauma responses: fight, flight, freeze, or fawn.
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Cognitive and Behavioral Awareness Together we will learn about your values and strengths. I will also bring gentle awareness to habituated thought patterns, behaviors, and words that may be keeping you stuck. I may ask questions that challenge certain words you use, the narrative you repeat, and beliefs you share about yourself and the world. I may use humor or softness to bring light to these unhelpful patterns and convey my non-judgment.
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Processing trauma is an important part of your healing journey. Depending on your preferences and needs, we may use several interventions to help you process traumatic memories and just as importantly, the imprint they’ve left on you relationally. Some modalities we may use to intervene with trauma include Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Internal Family Systems (IFS), and elements of cognitive therapies. I may also draw from Eastern philosophies like yoga, meditation, and mindfulness.
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Taking Action
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As you learn about yourself and gain clarity on your vision for your future, you will begin to take action. I will support you in targeting actions aligned with your vision and healthier identity, career, and relationships. Together, we will practice self-compassion, forgiveness, and resilience as you make progress toward your vision. We will celebrate both your wins and your misses as they are both evidence of your commitment to the process. Along the way, we may fine-tune your vision and your approach to change to be more and more aligned with sustainable, embodied healing.
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Ultimately, my goal as your trauma therapist is to act as a conduit for you to get to know yourself more deeply, reclaim your power, and re-write your story. You have all the answers within you; my job is to guide you to them. I will regularly give you options and ask you to check in with your intuition/body so that you have agency over your experience in therapy and beyond.
Have more questions? I’m happy to connect with you. Feel free to reach out to me at mbakva@gideonpsych for a 15-minute consultation or to connect before your scheduled intake.
