Compassionate, Science-Based Support for Deep Healing

At CARE Counseling, Inc., we know that trauma is not just something that “happened”—it’s something that lives in the body, the nervous system, and the stories we carry. Whether your trauma was a single event or years of accumulated adversity, healing is possible with support that is informed, compassionate, and neuroscience-based.

What Is Trauma?

Trauma is the emotional and physiological response to experiences that are too overwhelming, too fast, or too much for the nervous system to process at the time.

This may include:

• Car accidents, falls, or medical procedures

• Abuse, neglect, or domestic violence

• Sexual assault or exploitation

• Childhood emotional abandonment or betrayal

• Systemic, racial, or intergenerational trauma

• Chronic stress, bullying, or unexpected loss

Trauma isn’t just stored in the mind—it’s held in the body and nervous system. It can affect how you feel, think, relate to others, and even how safe you feel in your own skin.

How Trauma Affects the Brain and Body

When something overwhelming happens, the brain’s survival system activates. This includes:

• The amygdala (our brain’s alarm system) sounding the threat alert

• The prefrontal cortex (responsible for reasoning) going offline

• The nervous system shifting into fight, flight, freeze, or fawn modes

If we don’t get to safely process what happened—especially when we feel trapped, shamed, or unsupported—our brains and bodies may stay stuck in that survival mode long after the danger is gone.

This can show up as:

• Anxiety, panic, hypervigilance

• Emotional numbness or detachment

• Difficulty trusting, feeling, or relaxing

• Flashbacks, nightmares, or intrusive thoughts

• Chronic shame, exhaustion, or burnout

• Relationship struggles or people-pleasing

You’re not “overreacting.” You’re responding with the very system designed to protect you.

The Window of Tolerance

The Window of Tolerance, a concept from Dr. Dan Siegel, describes the range in which our nervous system can function optimally. Within this window, we feel regulated, present, and able to handle life’s challenges.

When we’re outside the window, we may experience:

• Hyperarousal: anxiety, overwhelm, panic, racing thoughts

• Hypoarousal: numbness, dissociation, shutdown, fatigue

Trauma therapy helps you:

• Expand your window over time

• Learn how to recognize and regulate nervous system responses

• Build resilience and feel safer in your body and relationships

What Does Trauma Therapy Look Like?

At CARE Counseling, Inc., trauma therapy is not about reliving what happened. It’s about restoring safety, self-trust, and nervous system balance.

Our approach is:

• Relational and compassionate – healing happens in connection, not isolation.

• Body-aware and neuroscience-informed – we help you understand your trauma responses without shame.

• Paced with consent and collaboration – we move only as fast as your system feels safe to go.

We offer trauma therapy through:

• Internal Family Systems (IFS) – working with protective and wounded parts of self

• Brainspotting or EMDR – processing trauma stored in the body and subcortical brain

• Somatic and polyvagal-informed therapy – helping your body feel grounded and safe

• Mindfulness, resourcing, and regulation skills – tools to calm and center you in daily life

You Are Not Broken—You’re Brave

Many clients come to us feeling like their symptoms are failures. But the truth is:

Your nervous system did what it had to do to survive.
Now it’s time to support it in learning how to feel safe, connected, and whole again.

At CARE Counseling, Inc., we walk with you—gently, respectfully, and with deep belief in your capacity to heal.

Your story matters. Your body remembers. And your healing is possible.