Trauma Therapy For Men in Wisconsin and Colorado

The Pain of Your Past Doesn’t Have to Define You

You want to let go, but for some reason, the memories, yearly anniversaries, and nightmares pull you back to that overwhelming event. It might be a more recent experience, such as a car accident, medical procedure, or an emergency, or it could also be something from farther in the past, such as childhood trauma or unexpectedly losing a parent as a child. Whatever the past event was, it still impacts your daily life today, your relationships with those you love, and your quality of life.

You thought this past event would most likely blow over, but it hasn’t. The suppression and avoidance of trauma, overwhelm, and stress can only happen for so long. Sooner or later, emotional numbness, interpersonal challenges, feeling lost, and a loss of purpose set in. You may even feel like a shell of the man you used to be. As the trauma symptoms set in, you may even find yourself hyperfixating on hobbies to try and find meaning or isolating from others due to worries about who you are and not trusting others. Trauma symptoms can be a downward spiral, in that as your life shrinks, so too does your self-confidence and belief in yourself. In summary, trauma shrinks your quality of life. The crucial piece to know here is that you and your body can heal.

Man in black sweater sitting on bed with hand covering face. Find relief from unresolved trauma through trauma therapy in Milwaukee, WI designed specifically for trauma healing.

What is Trauma Therapy?

Trauma therapy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, helps you to not only heal from past trauma but also to reregulate your emotions and nervous system. Through this healing and reregulation, your thoughts about past traumatic events, about yourself, and others will shift to be less emotionally charged. As this happens, you’ll find it easier to connect with your true self, those you love, and inner peace in life.

Modalities Used in Trauma Therapy

There are many different forms of trauma therapies. Most trauma therapies can be beneficial to some degree. These different forms of trauma therapies include:

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) - targets altering your beliefs about past traumatic events you experienced. In doing this, your thoughts about past events can become more accurate and less skewed toward negative thinking patterns.
Somatic Experiencing – a natural and bottom-up form of psychotherapy that helps to create safety in the body, build nervous system regulation and flexibility, and integrate trauma, attachment, and stress responses stored in the body.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)– an evidence-based psychotherapy that leans on the body’s innate ability to heal from trauma and overwhelm through bilateral stimulation. Bilateral stimulation typically occurs through side-to-side eye movements and/or tapping on one’s shoulders.
Sensorimotor Therapy - a bottom-up form of psychotherapy aimed at utilizing the body as a focal point to assist with healing from trauma and attachment.
Internal Family Systems – breaks the mind into ‘parts’ and examines how these parts work together or not, leading to psychological well-being or distress.

At Revitalize Mental Health, both somatic experiencing and EMDR are utilized to foster men’s healing.

What is Somatic Experiencing?

This form of psychotherapy starts with the body and works its way up to create lasting healing. The body can’t heal when defense mechanisms are cranked up, and the body is filled with tension from past stress. Somatic experiencing therapy helps to build one’s capacity to experience small levels of relief and calm while also noticing smaller and slowly greater levels of discomfort in the body. By moving back and forth between areas of calm/openness and areas of discomfort (and back again), the body can begin to integrate the stored stress responses that didn’t fully complete during moments of trauma. This leads to greater levels of internal peace, nuanced emotional experiences, improved relationships, and optimal function in life.

What Can Somatic Experiencing Help You Heal From?

Habitual patterns you can’t seem to break
PTSD and other overwhelming experiences
Anxiety and panic
Dissociation and freeze responses
Internal restlessness
Attachment issues
Nervous System Dysregulation
Getting unstuck in life

What is EMDR?

EMDR therapy is an evidence-based psychotherapy that has been shown to be beneficial for healing a wide variety of mental health issues. This trauma therapy is a phased therapeutic approach that begins with gathering historical information and learning regulation skills before starting to target past trauma or stressful memories for reprocessing. A central part of EMDR therapy is the Adaptive Information Processing (AIP) system. The AIP system is believed to help the body heal. The AIP system is stimulated by crossing the vertical midline in your body, think of the left and right areas of your body divided by the spine. When bilateral stimulation (shoulder tapping, side-to-side eye movements, or audio tones) activates the AIP system, EMDR posits that traumatic material can then start to be integrated within the body. This leads to trauma recovery and decreases in PTSD symptoms.

What is Trauma?

Trauma is something that is self-defined by each person. What one person experiences as trauma may not be considered by another person to be trauma. In the mental health world, traumas are often referred to as little ‘t’ and big ‘T’ traumas. The differences between the little and big t traumas are whether or not the trauma event reaches the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) threshold. If the event reaches the PTSD threshold, it is considered a big T trauma. Both big and little t traumas can lead to trauma symptoms later in life.

A list of small of little 't' trauma examples is provided below:

Experiencing shame and guilt from an ex-partner
Being a target of bullying in school
Belittling by a coworker or partner
Having your needs not met by a spouse

Below is a list of experiences that may cause PTSD symptoms:

Near-death experience (car accident)
Sexual Assault
Witnessing repeated traumatic material as part of a job (first responder)
Being an observer of a traumatic event
Learning of the unexpected death of a loved one
Experiencing an event that could have resulted in death

Symptoms of Trauma

Living with trauma can be both challenging and paralyzing. Trauma may consist of many different symptoms, including frustration, anger, self-doubt, and anxiety, to name a few. Living with these symptoms, as well as trauma, can be exhausting and can pull you away from the things you deeply value in life. Below are more symptoms that are heavily associated with trauma and more nuanced trauma symptoms that can interfere with your life.

Common Trauma Symptoms

Avoidance of memories and locations where trauma occurred
Irritability and anger
Intrusive thoughts, memories, nightmares, and flashbacks
Rapid mood changes or emotional detachment
Not being connected to the present moment
Difficulty with sleep
Internalizing or externalizing blame
Decrease interest in previously enjoyed hobbies/activities
Difficulty experiencing positive emotions
Reckless behaviors
Hypervigilance
Negative views of yourself, others, and the world itself

More nuanced trauma symptoms may include:

Emotional numbness
Reoccurring relationships issues
Avoidance, escape, and control patterns to protect against re-traumatization
Difficulty with healthy attachment patterns
Disconnection from reality or dissociation
Self-destructive/sabotaging behaviors
Perfectionism
Chronic busyness
Mind-body disconnect
Nervous system dysregulation
ADD/ADHD symptoms if there is a trauma history

Why Might Men Seek Trauma Therapy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin?

Most men I’ve worked with seek me out because they are exhausted of the trauma symptoms and want to better their lives. Men have shared that they’ve sought me out because they’ve tried general talk therapy before and it hasn’t worked. The men I work with value healing and bettering their lives; they just haven’t been able to do so, yet. While trauma therapy is a broad treatment area, it can relate to many different areas in men’s lives.

Common reasons men seek trauma therapy include:

Want to improve their lives
Heal from past traumatic or overwhelming experiences
Reconnect their mind-body connection
Regulate their nervous system so it doesn’t redline all the time
Improve relationships with their spouse and children
Connect with inner peace and calm
Learn how to better manage life stress

Man sitting on a couch speaking to a therapist. You don't have to keep carrying the weight of the past, trauma therapy in Milwaukee, WI helps men heal, regulate, and reclaim their life.

Trauma Therapy For Men FAQs

Considering trauma therapy, but not sure if it's the right fit for you? Whether you're questioning whether your experiences qualify as trauma, wondering if you need a formal diagnosis to get started, or just trying to understand how trauma therapy is different from anything you've tried before, the answers below are here to help. Trauma looks different for every man, and so does the path to healing.

Is trauma therapy right for you?

You may find trauma therapy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, beneficial to your healing and recovery process if you’ve experienced an overwhelming event in your life. An overwhelming event can encompass many different situations. This could be a near-death car accident, an invasive medical procedure, the unexpected loss of a loved one, or even a traumatic brain injury. Other situations that can elicit trauma responses can include betrayal trauma, chronic stress from being a caregiver, or workplace harassment.

Do I need a PTSD diagnosis to start trauma therapy?

Absolutely not. Even though PTSD symptoms can be alleviated by working with a trained trauma therapist near you, you can still benefit from trauma therapy, even if you don’t have a PTSD diagnosis. In fact, many men experience overwhelming, stressful, and little t traumas that can create trauma symptoms, as well as nervous system dysregulation in the body, almost every day. These little t traumas still need to be healed.

How is trauma therapy different from regular talk therapy or counseling?

Trauma therapy differs from regular therapy in many ways. First off, trauma therapies typically pertain to one trauma or a series of traumatic events in a person’s life. This can include a one-time invasive medical surgery, chronic childhood traumatization, or various first responder incidents that took place during a span of time. Secondly, trauma therapy needs to be bottom-up to create safety and regulation in the body before altering cognitive thoughts related to past traumatic experiences. Talk therapy, on the other hand, is top-down, meaning that the cognitive conversation takes place in hopes of changing the body and nervous system dysregulation. Talk therapy is more superficial and does not typically engage the body as part of the healing process.

What if I’ve tried therapy before and it didn’t help?

Actually, I have worked with many men who have tried therapy before, and it wasn’t helpful. The other therapies couldn’t help them get the results that they desired. This is where somatic experiencing therapy comes into play by working with the body and the nervous system first. As the body experiences safety, you can then integrate the emotions, the sensations, the images, and the existing present-day pain of past experiences so that you can experience calm and peace within the body.

Do I have to talk about everything that happened to start trauma therapy?

How Trauma Therapy for Men in Milwaukee, WI Can Help You Get Your Life Back

Trauma therapy for men in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, can help to heal the scars you’ve been carrying. Trauma and overwhelming events can be exhausting both in mind and body. Chronic fatigue from carrying trauma can lead to less motivation to do the things you enjoy, try entrepreneurial endeavors, or impede quality time with your children. But fatigue isn’t the only thing you may contend with.

Trauma and overwhelm can influence other mental health-related disorders and symptoms. For example, trauma and anxiety are highly intertwined. With anxiety, your body wants to prepare itself to respond to an event that may not even happen. Depressive episodes can be riddled with lack of motivation, hopelessness, insomnia, and suicidal thoughts.

Furthermore, with trauma, there is inherently a lack of control over oneself and the situation. This can lead to high levels of control, even obsessive-compulsive tendencies, self-sabotage, or other self-destructive behaviors. Putting it all together, your life can grind to a halt after you’ve experienced a single episode of trauma or repeated traumatic events. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Somatic experiencing therapy is a powerful form of psychotherapy that can help you heal and improve the quality of your life.

How Revitalize Mental Health Approaches Trauma Therapy for Men

Men can heal from trauma. It takes a willingness from a man to seek out trauma therapy and a trained trauma therapist to support and foster that healing. At Revitalize Mental Health, somatic experiencing is utilized to foster your inner sense of calm, while helping you to bring about relaxation both in your body and life. Too many men live with tension and stress held in their muscles. But your life doesn’t have to be this way.

What Makes Revitalize Mental Health Different From Other Trauma Therapists?

For men, working with another male therapist can be what’s needed to help heal scarred attachment patterns. Trauma therapy usually has relational components that aid in helping you navigate both present and future relationships. Additionally, you want your trauma therapist to be highly trained.

I am a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and have completed my training through Somatic Experiencing International. I am also certified in EMDR therapy through the EMDR International Association (EMDRIA). Being raised in the Midwest has also instilled many of the same values that other men embody, living in the Midwest. This helps to create a connection, which is vital to trauma recovery and healing.

Is Trauma Therapy Right for You?

Below, you’ll find more FAQs on determining if starting trauma therapy is the right move for you.

What does trauma therapy actually feel like – what happens in a session?

The first few sessions will be us getting to know one another. From there will start to build internal resources that you can utilize to help create grounding and nervous system regulation within your body. After we’ve built up a few different resources will then begin to pendulate back-and-forth between comfortable, supportive thoughts, memories, experiences, a.k.a. resources, and discomfort and areas of discomfort. This pendulation is what allows for integration to occur in the body. As your body begins to reregulate and your ability to sustain attention increases, additional material will begin to arise related to past traumatic experiences and become fully.

Can trauma therapy help men with anger and emotional reactivity?

Yes. When the human body experiences trauma, in a very adaptive way, it can become very emotional or very shut down. So, from an adaptive perspective, this helped the man when the trauma occurred to protect themselves. It’s an adaptive response and needs to be honored as such. And, it may need to be decoupled slightly to allow for some healing space within the body. On the flipside, men can also experience emotional numbness or disconnection as a trauma response. These two can become more connected or reconnected by working with a trained trauma therapist in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Is trauma therapy confidential – will anyone find out I’m going?

Trauma therapy is mostly confidential. Confidentiality cannot be guaranteed due to legal requirements for Wisconsin statute, as well as if there were to be a court subpoena. There’s also the chance that you may accidentally mention to somebody that you may be attending therapy. Outside of Wisconsin State statute and a court subpoena, your therapist, if they were approached by somebody who knows you, and asks about your services, would not be able to disclose any information. This is due to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability ACT (HIPAA) of 1996, which protects your confidential information from being shared.

What’s the difference between trauma therapy and PTSD treatment?

How do I know if a therapist is actually qualified to do trauma therapy?

Can I do men’s trauma therapy online, and is it as effective as in-person?

Absolutely. Men’s trauma therapy can be completed virtually and is very effective. Research has indicated that online trauma therapy is as beneficial as in-person trauma therapy. Revitalize Mental Health is located in Kenosha, Wisconsin. From what other clients have shared, they have driven from Lake Geneva, Oak Creek, New Berlin, Greenfield, Burlington, Franklin, and Brookfield, Wisconsin areas, and these transits were manageable. Of course, virtual therapy is also an option for even people living close by. I provide virtual trauma therapy for men in both Wisconsin and Colorado.

Man standing with his back to the camera and his arms outstretched in front of a blue sky. Healing from trauma is possible. With trauma therapy in Milwaukee, WI men will gain the tools to finally break free from the past and move forward.

Start Trauma Therapy for Men in Milwaukee, WI

You don’t have to feel trapped, paralyzed, exhausted, or tense in your body and life any longer. Trauma therapy for men can help you build a life you are proud of by reconnecting the mind and body, fostering calmness in the body, and healing past stressful experiences. Revitalize Mental Health in Kenosha, Wisconsin, specializes in trauma therapy for men. If you're looking to change the patterns that keep repeating in your life, better your relationships with yourself and others, heal from past trauma and overwhelm, and improve the quality of your life, you’re in the right place. Get started in three simple steps:

Complete the online form or call 720.295.6703 to get started.
Begin meeting with a compassionate trauma therapist through a free 15-minute consultation to see if we're a good fit.
Take the first step toward breaking free from the past and start healing today.

Get Started Today!

Other Therapy Services Provided at Revitalize Mental Health

At Revitalize Mental Health, I understand that trauma doesn't stay contained to one area of your life. It shows up in how you see yourself, how you connect with others, how you function under pressure, and how much of yourself you've slowly lost to the weight of carrying it alone. While this page focuses on trauma therapy for men and helping you finally heal from the inside out, I also work with men navigating a range of challenges including Perfectionism, Panic, Mood Disorders, Grief and Loss, Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI), Schizophrenia, EMDR Trauma Therapy for First Responders and Military Personnel, and Men and Infidelity.

I frequently work with men who appear strong and capable on the outside while quietly being consumed by the effects of unresolved trauma beneath the surface. Sessions are collaborative and intentionally paced, using evidence-based approaches such as EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, CBT, and ACT, bottom-up therapies that regulate your nervous system and help you reconnect with the sense of safety, clarity, and purpose that trauma has quietly taken from you. I offer both in-person therapy in the Milwaukee area, as well as virtual therapy throughout Wisconsin and Colorado.

Trauma Therapy for Men in Milwaukee, Wisconsin