Trauma doesn’t just live in the past—it lives in our bodies, our nervous systems, and our relationships. Whether you’ve experienced a single overwhelming event or a series of painful experiences over time, trauma therapy offers a space to begin healing.​

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Trauma therapy is a therapeutic approach designed to help people heal from the emotional, physical, or psychological effects of trauma. Trauma might come from events like:

• Physical, emotional, or sexual abuse

• Neglect or abandonment

• Accidents or natural disasters

• Medical trauma

• Loss or grief

• Identity-based trauma (racism, homophobia, transphobia)

• Relational breaches: betrayal, emotional manipulation, or violence

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But trauma isn’t just about what happened—it’s about what happened inside you in response. Trauma therapy helps process the emotional residue of these events so that your system no longer feels stuck in survival mode.

 

If you are unsure if you have trauma or what it is, here is some additional information on trauma types and presentation.

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How Trauma Shows Up?

Trauma can show up in ways you might not expect. Some common symptoms that trauma therapy can help address include:

• Anxiety, panic attacks, or chronic fear

• Depression or emotional numbness

• Shame or low self-worth

• Difficulty trusting others

• Flashbacks or nightmares

• Trouble feeling safe in your body

• Dissociation or feeling disconnected from yourself

• Relationship struggles or fear of intimacy

• Narcissism 

• Substance use

• Hypersexuality

• Disordered eating

 

You don’t need to have a specific diagnosis or clear memory of trauma to benefit from trauma therapy. If your nervous system is stuck in a loop of distress, therapy can help you shift.

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The Benefits of Trauma Therapy

Trauma Therapy provides a safe and structured environment to confront and process difficult experiences at your own pace. Some of the key benefits include:

• Reclaiming Your Life: Reduce the emotional and physical burden of past events, allowing you to move forward with confidence.

• Improved Emotional Regulation: Develop skills to understand your emotions and be able to work with them, instead of against them.

• Deeper Self-Understanding: Gain insight into the protective patterns your mind and body have adopted and how they’ve influenced your life.

• Stronger Relationships: Heal relational wounds and build healthier, more fulfilling connections with others.

• Renewed Sense of Safety: Learn to feel at ease in your own body and environment.

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How Trauma Therapy Works 

Trauma impacts both the mind and body, so healing must involve more than words. At Chris Peters Psychotherapy, we integrate a somatically attuned and trauma-informed approach, offering therapies that support both insight and embodied healing:

 

Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy

IFS helps you gently explore parts of yourself that may hold pain, shame, or protective roles. Instead of pushing away trauma-related behaviors or emotions, we get curious about them—creating space for healing through compassion and understanding.

EMDR Therapy

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) supports the brain in reprocessing stuck trauma memories, often reducing emotional intensity and increasing resilience.

Somatic Therapy

Trauma lives in the nervous system. Somatic therapy works with physical sensations, grounding, breath, and awareness to help restore a sense of regulation and safety in your body.​​

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What to Expect

Trauma Therapy is a collaborative and compassionate process that honors your unique experiences and needs. During our initial sessions, we’ll focus on building trust and creating a sense of safety. This foundation allows us to explore your story without overwhelming or re-traumatizing you.

As therapy progresses, you can expect:

• Gentle Exploration: We’ll uncover the root causes of your trauma and how they’ve shaped your emotions, behaviors, and relationships.

• Mind-Body Integration: Somatic informed therapies and mindfulness help you reconnect with your body and process sensations in a safe and supportive way.

• Transformative Healing: Using methods like EMDR and IFS, we’ll work to reprocess traumatic memories, reduce their intensity, and foster a sense of resolution.

 

Healing from trauma is not about erasing the past but about reclaiming your present and building a future that feels whole and aligned with your true self. You don’t have to face this journey alone—together, we’ll create a path to peace, resilience, and self-discovery.

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Healing Is Possible—And You Don’t Have to Do It Alone

Trauma therapy isn’t about “fixing” you. It’s about helping your system release what it’s been carrying so you can reconnect with your sense of self, safety, and strength.

 

📍 In-person sessions in Chicago
💻 Virtual therapy available for clients in Los Angeles

👉 Ready to start your healing journey? Reach out to schedule a free 20-minute consultation below.

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🌿 Related Information on Trauma Healing

🧠 What Is Trauma?
Learn how trauma impacts the nervous system—and why your responses make sense. A gentle, foundational guide to understanding trauma.

🌈 Trauma Therapy for Gay Men in Chicago
Explore how trauma uniquely affects gay men and how affirming, relational therapy can support healing.

👁️ EMDR Therapy in Chicago
Discover how EMDR helps process stuck memories and reduce emotional distress—no need to retell every detail.

🌀 Somatic Therapy in Chicago
Trauma lives in the body. Learn how somatic therapy helps with nervous system regulation and embodied healing.

🧩 IFS Therapy for Trauma
A compassionate approach to trauma that works with your internal system of “parts”—no shaming, just curiosity.

🍃 Healing Substance Use Through a Trauma-Informed, IFS Lens
Understand how addiction can be a protective response to pain—and how we can heal without waging war on ourselves.

💔 Understanding Complex PTSD (Coming Soon)
What is Complex PTSD, and how is it different from single-incident trauma? Learn about emotional flashbacks, dissociation, and how therapy can help.