How Christian Counseling for Trauma Recovery in Culver City Can Help You Find Freedom
Each of us has an identity that’s partly rooted in our life experiences. If you’ve had a traumatic experience, you might struggle with feeling defined by it. Post-traumatic stress disorder or other trauma-related issues can fill you with fear and loneliness as you strive to live with a sense of brokenness.
The counselors at Culver City Christian Counseling work with people of all ages and walks of life to find Christ-based trauma recovery. Let us help you reclaim your life, starting today.
Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
949-386-7179
In one moment, everything changed forever. It took time for me even to accept what had happened. I felt like a piece of me was torn away that day. Now there’s nothing left there but a hole, and that sense of emptiness has slowly filled with doubts, fears, and lack of trust. I wonder if I’ll ever feel truly safe again.
Traumatic events are unfortunately common; in the United States alone, 50% of women and 60% of men will experience a traumatic event at some point in their lifetime. Several different types of situations can cause trauma. Emotional trauma is caused by a significantly stressful event that’s a threat to your safety and well-being.
The way a person responds to the precipitating event influences the level of trauma because people are affected differently depending on their reaction of fear and a sense of helplessness. Traumatic events can include abuse, attacks, death, divorce, injury, natural disasters, war, or being traumatized vicariously by witnessing someone else’s trauma.
When you survive one of these experiences, you’ll often suffer from both physical and emotional symptoms of trauma.
Here are some of the emotional symptoms of trauma:
- Isolation.
- Difficulty concentrating.
- Confusion or brain fog.
- Misplaced shame and guilt.
- Shock and denial.
- Emotional numbness or disconnection.
- Anxiety and fear.
- Sadness and hopelessness.
- Anger, irritability, and mood swings.
Here are a few of the physical symptoms of trauma:
- Fatigue.
- Elevated heart rate.
- Muscle tension or body aches and pains.
- Insomnia.
These symptoms can resolve within a few days, or they can last for years; your personal experience of trauma and how well you process it will make a big difference in your symptoms. It’s normal for trauma recovery to be a lengthy process, and it’s not always linear; sometimes you may feel improved entirely, but find yourself suddenly triggered into symptoms you thought were resolved.
Recovering from trauma can be like a roller coaster. Sometimes the pain can feel all-consuming, and other times you may feel encouraged in the recovery process. Christian trauma counseling at Culver City Christian Counseling can help you regain a sense of autonomy, confidence, and peace as you process the experiences and emotions of trauma.
Types of Trauma: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Complex Trauma
We divide emotional trauma into two categories. PTSD is the first and most well-known. It usually arises following a single traumatic event. It’s developed by 1 out of 10 Americans who’ve experienced a traumatizing event, particularly one that has put them in danger of serious injury, death, or sexual violation.
Complex trauma is often cumulative in both cause and effect. It results from ongoing events such as physical violence, sexual abuse, or chronic illness requiring painful medical treatments. Complex trauma sometimes occurs in conjunction with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).
Our trauma counseling at Culver City Christian Counseling can help you find support, hope, and healing if you’re suffering from the symptoms of PTSD or complex trauma.
I want to move on from what happened to me, but I can’t seem to forget the feelings and mental images that keep me stuck where I don’t want to be.
Is counseling important for recovering from trauma? At Culver City Christian Counseling, we believe that Christian trauma counseling can be a crucial step in the healing process after a traumatic event.
Grief is a natural response to a frightening, overwhelming, life-changing event (or series of events). Receiving support can make all the difference between processing your fear, grief, and other emotions in a healthy way, or dealing with them in a way that doesn’t help you heal and move forward with life.
What symptoms might prompt you to seek Christian trauma counseling?
- A sense of being emotionally disconnected and numb.
- Struggling with flashbacks or nightmares.
- Having ongoing struggles with anxiety and depression related to the trauma.
- Using substances to mask the pain of your traumatic symptoms.
- Avoiding reminders of what happened to you.
- Withdrawing from healthy relationships.
- Having trouble functioning on a daily basis at work, home, school, etc.
Working with a trustworthy professional is imperative for trauma recovery. There’s nothing more sensitive than dealing with trauma, and low-quality counseling can cause further damage to your heart and life.
Here’s why Culver City Christian Counseling is a safe and dependable choice for Christian trauma counseling:
- Results-driven Christian counseling – The counselors at Culver City Christian Counseling use an integrated approach of science-based therapeutic methods and the truth and hope of Scripture. We are committed to your recovery process.
- Experienced professionals – Your counselors are trained, skilled, and competent in their areas of expertise. When it comes to trauma-focused counseling, the professionals at Culver City Christian Counseling are trained and experienced in navigating these sensitive issues with compassion.
- Risk-free initial session – Your first counseling session is risk-free with any of the counselors.
- Safe and confidential – As you explore your experiences and symptoms, you can experience a sense of safety in an understanding and confidential environment.
Sometimes, trauma recovery might seem entirely out of reach. But now more than ever, experts in the field of trauma understand how these experiences affect us physically and mentally. We have the tools and support you need to help you make it through to the other side.
Trauma and Recovery: Understanding Christian Trauma Counseling
I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. – Psalms 34:4
When you’re traumatized, it feels like your world has fallen apart, and like life may never be the same again. Hopelessness and fear haunt your days. Isolation makes you feel set apart from others who will never understand your pain.
In Christian trauma counseling, there are no quick and easy solutions for the depth of pain you’ve experienced. But, we offer proven, compassionate solutions to help you process the damage and brokenness, and begin to seek faith and healing through Christ.
Facing these overwhelming emotions and memories can be terrifying, but the process of resolving them can lead to great freedom. We will be here to walk with you every step of the way so you can find freedom from the tyranny of PTSD or complex trauma.
The goals of Christian trauma counseling are:
- Being able to connect with and trust other people in fulfilling relationships.
- Processing the memories and emotions related to your trauma.
- Having a fulfilling and renewed life in Christ.
- Acknowledging, understanding, and effectively managing your emotions.
Christian Counseling for Adult Trauma in Culver City
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise – in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? – Psalms 56:3-4
As we’ve seen, trauma recovery isn’t a quick or easy process, but there is hope. One reason trauma recovery can seem impossible is that our bodies have a “fight or flight” mechanism for responding to terrorizing events. You become stuck in a state of hypervigilance, hyperarousal, and fear, always on guard against an unseen threat.
In Christian counseling for trauma recovery, we work to restore balance in your life and help you regain your sense of safety and well-being.
These are the most common methods of trauma-focused counseling. Counselors typically use these methods in conjunction with one another:
- Psychodynamic Therapy – Helps clients put their feelings and experiences around traumatic experiences into words and uses the therapeutic relationship as a source of healing and understanding.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy – Helps you gain awareness, understanding, and control of your thoughts and behaviors related to the traumatic experience.
- Lifespan Integration – Is a gentle, body-based therapeutic method which heals without retraumatizing.
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR therapy) – Combines elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy with rhythmic eye movements that have been proven to unblock traumatic memories, allowing you to process them without retraumatizing the brain.
- Somatic experiencing – Utilizes the body’s natural ability for healing by focusing on how your body reacts to the emotional and physical effects of trauma. You will then learn how to release built-up tension through your body’s natural reactions to stress such as crying.
No matter what your traumatic experience has been or what your symptoms are today, the counselors at Culver City Christian Counseling want to support you in finding hope and a future. Our excellent trauma-based counseling and PTSD treatment can help you take the first step of healing today.
Christian Counseling for Childhood Trauma in Culver City
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid – John 14:27
Childhood trauma is devastating enough on its own, but leaving it unprocessed and unresolved can have even more serious ramifications. Since children’s brains and bodies are still developing, they often don’t understand what has happened to them, and it’s even more likely that they won’t have the cognitive or communication skills to talk about their emotions.
Christian counseling for childhood trauma helps children process and express their emotions using compassionate, professional techniques proven to be useful for children. We are here to support both you and your child in this incredibly stressful and painful time. Our goal is to help your child process his or her emotions and healthily express them. Here are some of the age-appropriate goals our Christian trauma counselors have for children during the recovery process:
- Letting go of self-blame or cognitive distortions about the traumatic event (such as the child believing they could’ve changed the outcome or that it was somehow their fault).
- Helping your child talk about the event at their own pace and in their way without causing further emotional distress.
- Helping your child find peace as he or she learns skills to manage the physical and emotional symptoms related to trauma.
Children may suffer trauma due to witnessing a traumatic event, being affected by a natural disaster, being abused, etc. At Culver City Christian Counseling, our compassionate Christian trauma counseling professionals will provide a safe and supportive environment for you and your child.
FAQ About Christian Trauma Counseling in Culver City
Conventional trauma methods form the basis for our approach to trauma counseling. But in Christian trauma counseling, we also acknowledge that your faith is affected by what you’ve experienced. You might be having a crisis of faith, or you might be finding your strength in the Lord. You’ll be able to talk about these issues with a counselor who understands them and can help you find wisdom, truth, and hope from the Scriptures as you move forward on the path to healing.
The counseling process is highly individual. Everyone processes trauma differently and at their own pace. No matter how long it takes, your counselor can continue the therapeutic process to help you reach your personal recovery goals.
We offer Christian trauma counseling for both children and teens. To find out more about our children and adolescent counselors, you can go to our service pages: Christian counseling for children and Christian counseling for teens.
Contact us today to find out how Christian trauma counseling can help you recover and find hope.
If you feel overwhelmed by your ongoing symptoms of trauma, please reach out to get help from our experienced Christian trauma counselors at Culver City Christian Counseling. Contact us online or call us at (949) 386-7179 today to schedule your risk-free initial session.
Get connected with a Christian Counselor
Please contact our reception team at
949-386-7179