Trauma Therapy NYC
Takeaway: If you’re struggling to overcome past traumatic experiences, you’re not alone. Thankfully, it is possible to heal. As a trauma therapist in NYC, I help people like you process what they’ve been through and find ways to take back their power. Reach out today to get started.
Trauma is considered the leading factor in most behavioral and substance misuse disorders.
Having experienced or witnessed traumatic events, such as, sexual abuse, domestic violence, natural disasters, death of your loved one or any other deeply distressing events growing up, can have lasting effects on how you perceive the world around you.
Physical symptoms are oftentimes what you can experience the most, long after traumatic events have passed. For example, traumatic memories may sometimes surface in the form of nightmares or night terrors. Painful feelings associated with past traumatic experiences may still be present long after a traumatic event. It can be confusing and disorienting to have these experiences resurface in the present moment and continue to feel the emotional and physical impact of these emotions. At times, not wanting to experience these emotions or physical symptoms can lead you to misuse substances to lower the intensity of the pain and to cope; which can lead to addiction.
There are many forms to help you cope with these strong emotions. Relaxation methods and mindfulness practices help relieve stress and help ground you in the present moment. There is a lot of information out there on self care practices that help relieve tension and places focus on you which can be very soothing for your stress response system.
Effective treatment for trauma in New York City is more than possible. There are many effective trauma therapists in the tri-state area specializing in complex trauma and post-traumatic stress. The therapeutic process is the most important part of healing from trauma and finding the right trauma specialist that you feel comfortable with becomes key. It is possible to have a fulfilling life and to learn strategies to help you cope with your feelings and feel safe.
Understanding trauma
Trauma is a lasting emotional and physiological response that often results from living through one or multiple deeply distressing events. Experiencing a traumatic event can harm a person's sense of safety, sense of self, and ability to regulate emotions and navigate relationships.
A traumatic event can be:
a recent, single one-time traumatic event (e.g., car crash, violent assault, death of a loved one)
a single traumatic event that occurred in the past (e.g., a sexual assault, the death of a spouse or child, an accident, living through a natural disaster, pandemic, or a war)
a long-term, chronic pattern (e.g., ongoing childhood neglect, sexual or physical abuse).
A person who has experienced a traumatic event might develop either simple or complex PTSD:
Experiencing a one-time traumatic event may lead to simple PTSD, but not always.
Complex PTSD tends to result from long-term, chronic trauma and can affect a person's ability to form healthy, trusting relationships. Complex trauma in children is often referred to as "developmental trauma."
The main difference between C-PTSD and PTSD is that with complex trauma (C-PTSD), there are multiple traumatic events the person has experienced in their lifetime. With multiple occurrences of trauma, the person is likely to develop long-lasting relational difficulties, such as pervasive mistrust of others. The human brain, having been affected by complex trauma learns to activate the stress response pretty quickly, and a person with C-PTSD may as a result behave impulsively or be highly reactive to what their brain perceives as a threat. A perceived threat could be as simple as a facial expression perceived by the person as anger. The person may as a result have difficulty in forming long-lasting fruitful partnerships and the ability to create a consistent and safe environment for themselves. They may feel a lack of control over their behavior and emotional state.
PTSD symptoms include:
Aggressive or emotional outbursts
Acute or chronic unexplained physical pain
Heart palpitations, trembling hands, or sweating
Jumpiness
Digestion disruptions
Low mood
Social isolation
Loss of interest in activities
Distrust of others or the world
Nightmares and/or flashbacks
A sense of self-blame, worthlessness, shame, or guilt
Avoidance of people, things, or situations related to traumatic event
Difficulty with sleep, eating, or physical intimacy
Weakened immune system
Headaches
Feeling empty or hopeless
Irritability
Dissociation
Complex PTSD symptoms may include the symptoms mentioned above and can also include:
feelings of worthlessness, shame, and guilt.
problems controlling your emotions.
finding it hard to feel connected with other people.
relationship problems, like having trouble keeping friends and partners.
The brain's biological response to a traumatic experience is a very natural response to a deeply disturbing life event. It is important to note, that after the event has passed, you do have the capacity to heal. The brain is an amazing organ and works to protect us from feelings deemed as negative; you may not remember or minimize the traumatic event and later feel the effects as you relate to others. It may feel confusing and hard to understand the impact that past experiences have on our thought patterns and behavior.
Mental health providers specializing in trauma therapy will work collaboratively with you and have the tools necessary to help you find relief.
Meet Karina Diaz | Trauma therapist in NYC
Therapy is a personal process. There’s no cookie-cutter formula to a fulfilled and enriched life.
As a therapist, it is important for me to get to know you, learn what is important to you, listen, and remain present with you to discover your personal language. Together, we will discover what is most important to you, and how you relate to the world around you.
I will create a safe space to process and support you in making choices that feel meaningful to you.
You can expect genuine compassion and quality care. I listen with an open heart and draw from my 20+ years of experience. My goal is to be personable and relatable. I will collaborate with you and help create a clearer understanding of your goals. Doing this will help us track how you are progressing in your recovery. You will always have real-time knowledge at your fingertips of how you are doing in treatment.
My approach to trauma therapy
My therapeutic training and background are in Art Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I apply these modalities to tailor treatment to your unique needs and to help you to reduce trauma symptoms.
Art Therapy is a branch of psychodynamic therapy that can be very empowering. It frees us to express ourselves without having to find verbal interpretations of our emotional distress. words can be difficult to access at times, but having access to a creative outlet can help create a bridge and a clearer understanding of your subconscious and emotional state.
It can not only help us feel seen but to feel proud.
Cognitive Behavior Therapy CBT treatment usually involves interventions that help change thinking patterns causing difficulties for you in your life. These strategies might include:
Learning to recognize one’s thinking patterns that could be contributing to sources of stress, and then reevaluate them through a different lens, providing options.
Gaining a clearer understanding of the behavior and motivation of others.
Using problem-solving skills to cope with difficult situations.
Learning to develop a greater sense of confidence in one’s abilities.
CBT treatment also involves interventions that help change behavioral patterns. These strategies might include:
Facing one’s fears instead of avoiding them, safely.
Using role-playing to prepare for potentially problematic interactions with others.
Learning to calm one’s mind and relax one’s body.
Not all CBT, will use all of these strategies. Rather, we will work together, collaboratively, to develop an understanding of the problem and to develop a treatment strategy.
FAQs about trauma therapists in NYC
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A therapist is a licensed individual in the state you reside in who is trained in a mental health modality or modalities to help you recover from symptoms or behavioral patterns limiting your ability to feel connected and a sense of joy and accomplishment in one or many aspects of your life. A trauma therapist has additional training in trauma and trauma treatment-specific modalities that are designed to help you overcome the effects of traumatic events. Trauma therapy will help you find relief in the different areas of your life where the impact of trauma shows up.
I am the director of a 24-hour crisis receiving center for mental health and substance misuse and have been in private practice for the last 18 years of my career. Clinically, throughout my 20 + long career; I have worked with children, youth, and their families- using evidence-based modalities to help bring about healing for individuals struggling with a variety of mental health diagnoses.
I believe strongly that individuals have in them the innate power to bring about change and with professional support heighten the likelihood of living a life they feel proud and enriched by.
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The use of psychological interventions is regarded as a first-line approach for PTSD by a range of authoritative sources.
Of the wide variety of psychotherapies available, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is considered to have the strongest evidence for reducing the symptoms of PTSD in veterans and has been shown to be more effective than any other nondrug treatment.
Reisman, M. (2016). PTSD Treatment for Veterans: What’s Working, What’s New, and What’s Next. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 41(10), 623. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5047000/
Art Therapy:
"Studies have suggested that some traumatic memories are stored nonverbally and may be retrieved through recollections of sensory, affective, visual, olfactory, auditory, and kinesthetic elements. Art therapy can access trauma recollections by engaging the senses. Art therapy has been hypothesized to bring order to traumatic experiences by creating links to nonverbal memories so that dissociated memories may be organized and processed in a meaningful way".
Campbell, M., Decker, K. P., Kruk, K., & Deaver, S. P. (2016). Art Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy for Combat-Related PTSD: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Art Therapy : Journal of the American Art Therapy Association, 33(4), 169. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421656.2016.1226643
Art therapy provides a safe way to approach traumatic memories through the use of symbols, which facilitate the consolidation of experiences by converting an artistic form, representative of emotions and reactions to trauma, into linguistic communication.
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Studies have found that between 77% and 100% of patients who attend regular, customized trauma therapy sessions will see a reduction in their symptoms.
Reisman, M. (2016). PTSD Treatment for Veterans: What’s Working, What’s New, and What’s Next. Pharmacy and Therapeutics, 41(10), 623. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5047000/
Outcomes are not guaranteed.
Everyone is different and will have different needs and readiness levels to engage in the therapy treatment process. Asking questions, researching treatment options, and allowing yourself some grace will go a long way in creating a suitable environment to ensure higher success rates in treatment.
Start your healing journey today.
It’s possible to alleviate symptoms that are causing the most stress in your life and to reestablish a sense of safety.
Healing from trauma and abuse can involve making meaning of the wounded parts of ourselves and reintegrating these parts to create a renewed sense of wholeness. One that is redefined in the context of your current relationships and the environments where you work, live and play.
I help create a sense of safety, trustworthiness, and transparency around what to expect in our sessions together. I believe in collaboration and mutuality in the therapeutic process to promote empowerment and choice. Together we will explore any cultural, historical, and gender issues that may be contributing or directly causing the effects of trauma in your life.
Therapy is not a “quick fix” and recovery from trauma is not defined by the absence of thoughts or feelings about the traumatic experience, but will instill a sense of well-being and the ability to live with what happened to you in a way that doesn’t control your life.