Trauma

For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. – Psalm 32:7

For many victims of trauma, fear follows them long after the traumatizing experience. The team of professionals at Bellevue Christian Counselingis committed to walking with victims of trauma over the long haul.Using tools that have proven effective, our therapists will educate clients regarding strategies for overcoming fear and ways to direct one’s life to dependence upon Christ and the peace that it brings.

Countless people who have suffered trauma have been deeply strengthened and set on a path of healing as professional Bellevue Christian counselors have applied biblically based and clinically-proven methods to change trauma victims’ lives.

How Do I Know if Trauma Counseling is Needed?

Trauma victims often live unaware of the ways in which past traumas are affecting them in their mental, emotional, and daily lives, since the human brain has such a high capacity for self-preservation. When the effects of trauma are not recognized over a long period of time, they can come out suddenly with harmful effects, or gradually become increasingly unmanageable, negative habits affecting daily life.

Professional, trauma-focused counseling is essential for trauma survivors to begin understanding and addressing these symptoms as early as possible, especially since each person’s response to trauma over time will vary widely.

A Christian trauma-focused counseling approach is designed to address symptoms such as:

• Difficulty functioning normally at home or work
• Persistent depression, fear, or anxiety
• Self-alienation from relationships
• Nightmares, flashbacks, or emotional memories
• Trying to avoid reminders of the traumatic event
• A feeling of emotional disconnectedness or numbness
• Drug and/or alcohol abuse that tries to mask your trauma symptoms

If you or your loved one seems to be stuck in fear, pain, or the entrapment of past memories, get the guidance you need from professional, trauma-focused Christian counseling.

Our counselors are ready to help with a range of trauma-related issues, including:

• Childhood abuse and neglect
• Sexual abuse and/or assault
• Abusive relationships
• Traumatic injury or illness
• The aftermath of natural disasters
• The effect of witnessing traumatic events
• The grief of sudden loss
• Trauma from combat or military experience

Every person who suffers from a traumatic experience has a story. The professional counselors at Bellevue Christian Counseling provide a safe environment to help you process painful memories and feelings as you are ready to do so and apply best-practice therapy to bring healing.

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. – 2 Corinthians 3:17

Over half of men and nearly half of women have at least one traumatic experience, so trauma is not as uncommon as people sometimes suppose. Trauma-related symptoms (such as persistent fear or PTSD) are real, often debilitating problems that prevent people from functioning in daily life. Bellevue Christian counselors use proven methods and a faith-based approach to help people break free from trauma-related symptoms, achieving healing, lasting peace, and the ability to move on from past traumatic events.

Those who have suffered trauma need a consistent environment in which they can process trauma-related memories and emotions. Understanding and managing the strong emotions following a traumatic experience is very difficult without the support of a professional counselor. Trauma victims also need to learn how they can constructively develop trusted relationships in the future and continuing to live fulfilling lives rooted in the power of a healing God.

Is it Possible to Recover from Trauma?

Yes! Bellevue Christian counselors do their work from a deep conviction that because of what Christ has done, recovery from anything that binds us is possible. This is because Christ, having died and rose again to secure forgiveness, life, and blessing for all His people, still stands as mediator, helper, guide, and the ultimate counselor for you, even today.

When you tap into His power, His blessing, His love, and His resources for life change and spiritual growth, there is no room for doubt about whether trauma recovery is possible. If Christ lives, recovery is possible. And Christ lives indeed!

Bellevue Christian counselors are also motivated by the effectiveness of the methods we use. Because we combine clinically proven trauma-focused counseling with Christian conviction and faith-based insight, our counseling is highly effective. Countless people have moved beyond the past, found healing from pain, and broken free from haunting memories.

When you receive Christian trauma counseling, you will benefit from:

• Christian trauma counselors who are skilled in navigating sensitive matters with compassion
• An environment that is supportive and non-judgmental, where you can explore your memories, ask questions, and be yourself without shame
• A proven, result-driven method that sees you through the specific goals you set with your counselor
• A unique and highly effective blend of faith-based and evidence-based clinical methods

But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me? – 2 Corinthians 3:17

Many trauma survivors turn to self-harming behaviors as a way to cope with the pain that follows them day to day. Alcohol and drug abuse, for instance, are common means people use to try to dull the emotions associated with trauma victims. At Bellevue Christian Counseling, our faith-based approach does not condemn those whose lives have taken a turn into harmful ways of coping.

Our professional counselors come alongside everyone, no matter where they are in their spiritual journey, to guide them to lasting recovery and set them on a path to ongoing mental, emotional, and spiritual growth.

Trauma counseling can take many different forms depending on the type of trauma, the victim’s age, and the specific effects the traumatic event is having on a person’s life. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to trauma recovery, which is why the methods a counselor uses can vary significantly from person to person.

It takes an experienced professional counselor to provide a consistent atmosphere where he or she patiently works with you to process your emotions, achieve a sense of personal safety and well-being and live a life free from fear and fulfilled in Christ.

Methods of trauma counseling, sometimes combined together, include:

• Helping you express your feelings and memories in a safe environment by constructing a trusting, therapeutic relationship with your counselor (Psychodynamic therapy)
• Constructing awareness of, insight into, and control over harmful thoughts and behaviors connected with the traumatic experience (Cognitive-behavioral therapy)
• Achieving gradual healing through a physically-based therapeutic method that avoids re-traumatizing (Lifespan Integration)
• Unblocking memories of a traumatic experience to foster safe processing of memories by combining features of CBT with rhythmic eye movements (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR therapy)
• Learning how to release built-up tension through the natural reactions your body has to trauma-induced stress, such as crying, utilizing your body’s built-in capacity to heal itself (Somatic experiencing)

Helping Teens and Children Recover from Trauma

In partnership with parents, the professionals at Bellevue Christian Counseling create a compassionate and supportive safety net that helps young trauma victims break free from fear. In order for your child or teen to move forward from trauma toward a healthy, Christ-fulfilled life, it is highly important that young trauma sufferers benefit from the skills of a professional counselor who is trained in age-specific trauma recovery methods.

A number of age-specific methods are utilized by Bellevue Christian Counseling in cases where a trauma victim is younger:

• Relaxation skills and stress management is used to help your child find peace by controlling the physical/emotional symptoms of a traumatic past
• Fostering understanding of memories and emotions by guiding the child to talk about the traumatic event at a careful pace so as not to trigger a recurrence of symptoms
• Helping children dismiss self-blame and other inaccurate ideas about the past

The therapists at Bellevue Christian Counseling are ready, equipped, and motivated by Christ to come alongside your family to create a nurturing environment for your child who has suffered from the trauma of a natural disaster, abuse, sudden loss, or other traumatizing event.

Contact us today to begin Christian trauma recovery counseling.

At Bellevue Christian Counseling, we trust that our approach to trauma counseling will provide results that are lasting, highly effective, and spiritually nurturing, helping you or your loved one to recover from a past shaken by a traumatic experience.

To learn more about Christian trauma counseling or to schedule your risk-free initial session*, contact us