Trauma can occur when an experience overwhelms our ability to cope or leaves us feeling unsafe, powerless, or deeply affected long after the experience has ended. Trauma is our perception of an event, and how it is integrated within our memory system. Not everyone who experiences trauma develops PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) or another mental health disorder. People respond to difficult experiences in different ways, and reactions can vary over time.

Trauma isn’t always the result of one major event. It can also develop through repeated or ongoing experiences such as emotional abuse, neglect, bullying, instability, or difficult relationship experiences. The effects of trauma can sometimes appear long after an event has occurred and may influence how we see ourselves, relate to others, manage emotions, and experience the world.

Therapy can offer a safe and supportive environment to explore these experiences at a pace that feels manageable. At Holding Moments Psychotherapy, we adhere to the 5 core principles of trauma-informed care:

1. Safety: Supporting clients by cultivating physical and emotional safety to ensure our clients feel secure and safe in the therapeutic space.
2.  Trustworthiness: Trust in the therapeutic relationship is established with clear and honest communication.
3.  Choice: Therapists ensure options are clear and understood by clients and support clients in exercising their own autonomy and control over their care.
4.  Collaboration: Client care and healing is treated as a shared journey where decisions are made collaboratively between the therapist and client.
5. Empowerment: Client’s individual strengths are recognized, validated, and built upon to support in their healing and recovery.