Traumatic life events may be witnessed or experienced firsthand. It is not an uncommon experience in life. Traumatic events can leave people stuck in certain ways after a traumatic event. The natural survival response called "fight, flight or freeze" may be easily activated after a trauma. A variety of things may trigger memories of a traumatic event. It could be linked to certain places, sights, smells, sounds and/or touch. Some people with a traumatic past may be triggered and slip into a daydream state, known as dissociation. These are normal reactions to threatening events.
Traumatic events may lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In the general public, the term PTSD is used interchangeably with a bad experience. However, PTSD is a serious condition where people relive experiences of their trauma through flashbacks. Flashbacks retraumatize the person because they essentially feel all of the events of their trauma each time, they experience them. Trauma counselling for PTSD is very specialized and should only be done by someone who is qualified.
Art therapy is a great tool to combine with trauma counselling. Art-making bypasses the brain's verbal center and helps people use to gain access to memories in order to process them. Traumatic events are not stored in the verbal centers of the brain. It is an excellent way to process and unpack traumatic events and become unstuck.
If you are interested in becoming an Art Therapy Guelph client, reach out to be a 15 minute get acquainted chat today, 519 827 9237 or click here to book online.