Trauma Skills Group in NYC

Our trauma skills group in NYC exists for people who have experienced trauma and feel stuck in moving past unwanted symptoms. This program focuses on helping people develop coping skills and techniques to deal with symptoms of trauma, such as flashbacks, nightmares, and intrusive thoughts.

Our group addresses two factors underlying trauma- your ability to cope and your ability to connect. Traumatic events cannot be undone, but you can learn to regain control over your life. By doing this work in a group setting, you learn to share parts of you that you have kept hidden. With practice, you’ll implement new and improved coping tools effectively in your own life.

People in a trauma skills group will have the opportunity to share their experiences with others who have been through similar situations. This provides an opportunity for support and connection, an essential part of healing from trauma.

Trauma is not just what happened to you. Trauma is also what changed in you in response to what happened, and how those changes directly impact your life today. 

Traumatic events are experiences that generate a significant amount of distress with little to no support. There is often threat or fear of threat involved, where someone is truly at risk of harm. These experiences are overwhelming and unique to each individual. Almost any event can be considered traumatic, but there are several common situations: 

• Abuse (neglect, physical, sexual, emotional, or verbal)

• Oppression (poverty, racism, homophobia, transphobia)

• Assault (robbery, mugging, rape, or domestic violence)

• Combat or war experiences (military veteran, refuge) 

• Natural disasters (floods, hurricanes, earthquakes)

• Attachment (Sudden death of a loved one, family relationships)

• Community Disruption (unsafe neighborhoods, school violence, social injustice)

• Traumatic medical procedures or diagnosis (including medical racism, medical fatphobia)

A major risk factor in developing trauma after a traumatic event is the lack of supportive relationships. When someone does not have consistent or reliable support, they struggle to manage the stress of their trauma alone. When a trusted relationship is the one who causes you harm,  this difficulty to access support becomes more intense. 

People who have experienced trauma experience the world much differently. Trauma can have  a profound impact on you physically, emotionally, and mentally (i.e. your perspective or beliefs). In this group, you will learn about these changes to practice skills while learning to build compassion for yourself. Some changes created by trauma include:

• • Fear Responses – You may feel stuck with the idea that bad things are about to happen to you at any moment. You may experience physical symptoms including racing heartbeat, nausea, shortness of breath, or loss of appetite.

  • Physical Changes – This may look like digestive trouble, chronic pain or tension, not taking care of your physical needs (sleep, exercise, nutrition, etc.), or even self-harming behaviors.

  • Emotional Changes – You may experience numbness at times, and then emotional outbursts at others. Your emotions may seem to “rule” you like you’re not in control anymore, and you might find that you judge yourself harshly.

  • Cognitive Changes – You may have a negative body image, self-critical thoughts, or irrational beliefs. You may experience intrusive or unwanted thoughts that feel difficult to control.

  • Relationship Changes – You may develop an aversion to particular types of touch or intimacy, which make it difficult to connect with a partner. You may also struggle to feel loved, or fully trust other people.

 Other trauma reactions you may be experiencing:

Reminders and Triggers – You may have intense physical reactions to triggers, such as a racing heart, which are often outside of your control. It’s not uncommon for people who’ve been through trauma to experience flashbacks, nightmares, and dissociation in response to triggers.

Safety and Risk-Seeking – After a traumatic event some people may engage in destructive and impulsive behaviors that are otherwise out of character. These include reckless driving, gambling, using substances, disordered eating, risky sexual behavior, or other potentially harmful behaviors that may put your safety at risk.

Above are some common reactions that people may experience as a result of trauma, and are not a sign of weakness. Nor do you have to experience everything on this list in order for your trauma to be “valid.” They are natural and normal responses to the abnormal situation(s) you experienced.

Trauma reactions can vary in intensity and duration and can be triggered by anything that reminds you of the original event or situation. When we learn to understand what these changes are, we can more easily identify how to address them.