A: When many people think of trauma, they think of “the big stuff” like war, sexual abuse, plane crash, or sudden death of a loved one. But almost any event can be experienced as trauma for our brain. One definition of trauma I use is “any event from outside of your power/control/conscious choice which contradicts your identity to the point that it raises your stress to toxic levels and creates unacceptable losses.” Trauma is not necessarily determined by the event, but by the person’s experience of the event. What is experienced as traumatic by one person, may not be experienced as traumatic by another person, and vice-versa.

Examples of some of the lesser known adverse experiences/ trauma I’ve helped people work through are:

• Emotional neglect

• Childhood attachment issues

• Abandonment

• First responder experiences

• Death of a pet

• Parent’s Separation or Divorce

• Addiction

• Significant other’s pornography use

• Narcissistic significant other

• Unstable childhood

• Conflict with adult children

• Chronic or terminal illness

• Childhood surgeries

• Living with a parent with mental illness

A: The length of trauma therapy is determined by several factors. Most importantly, though, is the nature of the trauma. If you’ve experienced a single event or brief trauma, it will take less time to process than a more complicated or long-term event. My clients usually spend anywhere from six months to a year and a half in therapy with me.

A: Yes! I have provided trauma therapy both in person and online. While we will need to evaluate whether online therapy will be right for your specific situation, I’ve had many clients experience healing while enjoying the convenience of online therapy.

More questions about online therapy? Check out the Online Therapy section of the FAQs page.