Our work may include working through the effects of a particularly distressing incident or experience that is still affecting you. If that is the case, here are more in-depth descriptions of how I work with PTSD.

I am a Certifed Traumatic Incident Reduction Facilitator, or TIRF-C.

TIR is a SAHMSA-approved, evidence-based treatment for PTSD. See this page for more information on the importance of evidence-based treatment.

This is a structured method for treating the symptoms of PTSD. I will guide you to safely revisit the incident (or series of incidents) that are troubling you, in structured way, being present with you every step of the way. The goal is to reprocess how you experience the incident(s), so that you feel lighter and less affected by it.

The more you are able to view the incident or experience that is charged, the more you will unlayer and reduce that charge. Think of your emotional and mental “charge” like a lava flow: If you try to push it down, it builds pressure. You spend mental, emotional, and physical energy trying to keep it “pushed down”. Over time, this saps your ability to live in the present.

But if you open up the lava flow in a structured, guided way, you can release the pressure, and “see” the different parts of the lava. Just as a lava flow cools when released, your mental and emotional charge get released and reduced. The result is more calm and clarity about the issues that have been so distressing.

A TIR session has no set end time. Rather, when you are stabilized and reach an “end point”, that is when we are done. Most TIR sessions can be done in 90 minutes, but this can vary. We will usually plan a TIR session ahead of time. The number of PTSD treatment sessions is determined by your level of relief from PTSD symptoms, as well as what might be attached to it. For example, a single car accident may take 2 to 4 sessions, while years of bullying or witnessing traumatic events repeatedly may have more issues or “charge” attached, so more work might be needed. That’s ok. There is no “right” number of sessions that it takes; the goal is to relieve your symptoms.

Somatic Experiencing

I incorporate Somatic Experiencing as needed into trauma treatment. Somatic Experiencing (SE) incorporating somatic, or body awareness, as we move through a memory of an event or experience that was particularly distressing. Together we track the body’s response with compassion and acceptance and modify this response. You develop deeper awareness of your body, becoming able to identify areas where tension clusters, and increase your skill in regulating your body responses to trauma and distress.