Trauma therapy is a phrase that encompasses many different forms of psychotherapy to address trauma, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD), and other life traumas. Trauma therapy in Milwaukee, WI typically works by helping to integrate past overwhelming experiences that are stored in the body so that trauma symptoms can decrease in both frequency and intensity. As trauma therapy progresses, the past memories will lose their emotional, visceral charge.
What Trauma Therapy Actually Is and What It Isn’t
Trauma therapy is a psychotherapeutic approach to heal either a single incident or chronic traumatization you experienced. In general, trauma therapy focuses on creating nervous system regulation and safety within the body. This gives you the capacity to process and integrate past traumatic experiences that are stored in the body. Past traumatic material can be stored in the body. This may include images, noises, muscle tension, fear, shame, guilt, smells, and other sensations. These different internal experiences can show up in a variety of ways and negatively affect your life.
When the body experiences trauma, it tries to react to meet the stressor/threat. Sometimes these reactions are thwarted or not allowed to fully complete. By allowing these trauma responses to fully complete and integrate via trauma therapy, you can finally heal and reduce trauma symptoms in your life. By reestablishing nervous system regulation and trauma integration, you can once again experience calm, peace, and the quality of life that you desire.
Trauma therapy isn’t just talk therapy. You can talk until you’re blue in the face, and if that worked, you probably wouldn’t be reading this blog post. Think of trauma therapy as more of a surgical procedure. It helps heal components of past overwhelming experiences that continue to impact your life months or years later.
Why Does Trauma Live in the Body and Not Just the Mind?
When the body experiences trauma and shock, there’s a charge of energy in the body. This energy can become stored or almost frozen inside the body, which can then lead to trauma symptoms. The body innately releases huge amounts of hormones to meet a threat or traumatic situation. This is a very adaptive response; however, if you’re unable to release this energy, it can lead to internal restlessness, anxiety, hypervigilance, flashbacks, difficulties with sleep, and other trauma symptoms.
What Are the Main Types of Trauma Therapy and How Do They Work?
There are a few different main types of trauma therapies that can help you heal.
Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy
The first is Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. This form of trauma therapy helps to create nervous system regulation skills and process traumatic material through the use of bilateral stimulation. Bilateral stimulation can include shoulder tapping, alternating audio tones in the ears, or side-to-side eye movement.
After one trauma/stressful memory is reprocessed, another trauma or stressful experience memory is chosen to reprocess next. As an EMDR client, you will make your way through the traumatic and/or stressful experience one at a time; however, once the first and the worst memories are reprocessed, other stressful memories usually lose their charge as well.
Somatic Experiencing Therapy
Another powerful trauma therapy is somatic experiencing therapy. Somatic experiencing therapy works by gently pendulating back and forth between areas of activation or discomfort and areas of comfort and ease in the body. This form of psychotherapy also pulls on your body’s innate ability to heal because. After trauma, the body typically constricts. With that constriction, the body can lose the capacity to flex to meet life’s needs.
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) is also evidence-based and can help you alter your thoughts related to past traumatic experiences. Through the completion of homework sheets, you can begin to challenge your thought process and beliefs about past traumatic experiences you sustained. CPT usually takes between 12 and 18 therapy sessions.
Additional Trauma Modalities
Other trauma modalities include:
- Sensorimotor therapy
- Internal Family Systems
- Prolonged Exposure Therapy
Revitalize Mental Health provides EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, and CPT trauma therapies.
What Actually Happens in a Trauma Therapy Session?
The first few sessions will be dedicated to us getting to know one another and building trust. The professional relationship we create will help you expand your capacity to track, notice, and name sensations within the body. Once you can self-regulate, we’ll begin to gently and intentionally pendulate back and forth between areas of comfort within or outside the body and areas of activation, tension, or stress. This pendulation in a titrated manner of past traumatic experiences is what allows your body to release and heal.
How Long Does Trauma Therapy for Men in Milwaukee Actually Take?
There’s no set time limit on trauma therapy. Two factors that will impact the length of trauma therapy for men are the frequency and intensity of past traumatic or overwhelming experiences, as well as the age of trauma onset. Typically, childhood trauma is the most severe form of trauma to work with because it occurs during childhood and brain development, and is typically perpetrated by those who can protect a child. This creates many different layers of attachment and relational trauma to also work with. Childhood trauma can also lead to complex posttraumatic stress disorder.
In terms of the length of trauma therapy sessions, more recent overwhelming experiences typically integrate faster than childhood trauma. Sometimes, single-incident traumas are integrated in about 6 to 8 sessions after an initial rapport is built with a trauma therapist. Childhood trauma can take a few months to even a year to heal, which includes the startle responses, attachment in relational disruption, as well as developing your own sense of identity.
Why Trauma Therapy for Men Looks Different and Why That Matters
Trauma therapy for men can be a further nuanced experience than general trauma therapy. When working with men, especially those in Wisconsin, you need to take into consideration the societal norms of emotional suppression, compartmentalization, and the work ethic and grit that most men in Wisconsin have been raised with. Furthermore, many men in Wisconsin do not like to discuss their issues. This is okay if it works for you. However, this can lead to layers of emotional suppression and eventually emotional numbness in life. When working with men for trauma therapy, we need to keep these societal norms in mind because men need to heal, too.
The Fears That Keep Men from Starting Trauma Therapy Answered Honestly
I’ve run from it for so long; do I need to address it now?
That can only be answered by you and you alone. Avoidance and emotional numbness work well for short periods of time. Sooner or later, those costs start to add up and ruin relationships, decrease self-esteem, cause difficulty connecting with your children, and just make you feel stuck in this world.
What if I don’t want to talk about a past traumatic experience in trauma therapy?
At Revitalize Mental Health, both EMDR therapy and somatic experiencing therapy are utilized. Both forms of psychotherapy don’t require you to talk about your traumatic event, but more so notice what emotions, sensations, body impulses, and thoughts arise as you’re in session, noticing the past event. Of course, this can be destabilizing and emotionally charged, but you won’t stay there for long. You will then pendulate back to areas of comfort, areas of support, and areas of connection in your life. Trauma inherently destabilizes the balance in our lives. So, we want to bring in more positive aspects to therapy to help rebalance your life.
It’s also okay to feel uneasy or even fearful of addressing trauma in a therapeutic setting. That’s quite natural, even for men. But in this confidential setting, we can build trust and connection so that you feel able to be a little vulnerable to allow for healing to take place in your body.
What to Look for in a Trauma Therapist in Milwaukee, WI
When searching for a trauma therapist in Milwaukee, WI, you want to research what therapeutic modality you can use to heal trauma. Cognitive Processing Therapy, for example, is more top-down compared to EMDR therapy or somatic experiencing therapy. These latter therapies are bottom-up approaches to healing therapy.
By first creating safety and calm in the body, you can undo some of the defense mechanisms that keep you stuck in self-sabotaging patterns of behavior and ruminating thoughts. You also want to look at a therapist’s clinical training in working with men’s trauma. Consider their clinical training in general as well as their overall experience level. Experience doesn’t necessarily relate to the age of the therapist.
Frequently Asked Questions About Trauma Therapy
Considering trauma therapy, but not sure where to start? Whether you’re questioning what trauma therapy actually involves, wondering how it differs from regular counseling, or trying to understand if it can work for someone like you, the answers below are here to help. There is no wrong reason to start asking questions, and no experience too small or too large to deserve healing.
What is the difference between trauma therapy and regular therapy?
The primary difference between talk therapy and trauma therapy is that trauma therapy focuses on a specific event or past events that need to be healed to reduce symptoms. Trauma therapy tends to be bottom-up, whereas talk therapy is top-down.
How do I know if I need trauma therapy or just regular counseling?
A few ways that this could be discovered are through self-reflection, talking with peers or friends who have been in therapy before, or utilizing a therapist’s free consultation call to determine which type of therapy might benefit you.
Does trauma therapy require me to talk about everything that happened in detail?
No, trauma therapy doesn’t mean you have to talk about every detail of what happened during a traumatic event. What trauma therapy needs is some of the emotional charge or senses that were activated during that event to allow for integration. However, this can also be a fear of holding people back from starting trauma therapy.
How long does trauma therapy typically take?
The length of trauma therapy is different for every person. Some more recent single-incident traumas can be taken care of in 6 to 12 therapy sessions. Other trauma, such as chronic childhood traumatization and neglect, sometimes takes six months to a year or two to heal.
Can trauma therapy be done online in Wisconsin?
Yes, trauma therapy can be done throughout Wisconsin virtually. This usually comes down to personal preference and the availability of both the client and the therapist.
What should I look for in a trauma therapist in Milwaukee?
When researching a trauma therapist, you should look for a therapist trained in trauma as well as how long they’ve been treating trauma. A therapist’s age does not necessarily mean they will be better or worse at supporting you and trauma recovery.
Is trauma therapy covered by insurance in Wisconsin?
Typically, trauma therapy in Milwaukee is covered by insurance. A few things to note: an insurance can request the therapist’s documentation at any time, and a trauma diagnosis, like any mental health diagnosis, will be entered into your medical chart.
What is the difference between PTSD and trauma — do I need a diagnosis to start therapy?
Trauma is an umbrella term, and PTSD belongs in that umbrella of trauma. PTSD means that whatever event you experienced threatened your well-being or your life. This could also include witnessing something horrific or learning of the unexpected loss of someone close to you. Other forms of trauma and overwhelming events may create trauma symptoms just like PTSD. However, they do not reach the PTSD diagnostic threshold.
Stop Running from the Past and Start Healing with Trauma Therapy in Milwaukee WI
If things have reached a point in your life where you feel stuck or you don’t know where to go and things don’t feel like they can get better, it may be time to consider trauma therapy. Trauma therapy can be completed via online or in-person sessions. I have found that in-person sessions at Revitalize Mental Health’s office location work well for people who live as far as Lake Geneva, Greenfield, Franklin, Burlington, Oak Creek, and Waukesha, Wisconsin. Of course, if you live closer and you prefer virtual trauma therapy, that can be a great option too. For people who live far distances, online trauma therapy may be your best option.
Begin Healing with Trauma Therapy in Milwaukee WI
You have spent long enough carrying the weight of what happened, pushing through, staying busy, and hoping that time would eventually take the edge off. It hasn’t. Trauma therapy in Milwaukee, WI gives you something different: a space where your nervous system can finally begin to release what it has been holding, where the past loses its grip, and where healing happens at a pace that feels right for your body and your life. At Revitalize Mental Health, you don’t need to have it all figured out before you reach out. You just need to be willing to take the first step.
- Complete the online form or call 720.295.6703 to get started.
- Begin meeting with a compassionate trauma therapist
- Take the first step toward breaking free from the past and start healing today.
Additional Services Offered at Revitalize Mental Health in Wisconsin and Colorado
At Revitalize Mental Health, I understand that trauma doesn’t just live in your memories; it shows up in how you think, how you relate to others, how you perform under pressure, and how disconnected you may feel from the man you used to be. While this blog focuses on what trauma therapy is and how it works for men in Milwaukee, WI, 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 have been white-knuckling their way through life for years, quietly carrying the weight of past experiences that never fully healed. Sessions are collaborative and intentionally paced, using evidence-based approaches such as EMDR, Somatic Experiencing, CBT, and ACT, bottom-up therapies that help your nervous system release what it has been holding and reconnect you with the clarity, purpose, and peace 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.
About The Author
I’m Daniel, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the founder of Revitalize Mental Health. I specialize in working with men who are living with the lingering effects of trauma. Men who have tried to move on but find that the past keeps showing up in their relationships, their bodies, and their sense of who they are. I know that deciding to address trauma after years of pushing it down can feel overwhelming. But continuing to carry it untreated slowly costs you your connection to yourself, the people you love, and the life you deserve to be living.
My approach to trauma therapy gets to the root of what your body and nervous system have been holding. As a certified EMDR therapist with advanced training in Somatic Experiencing, ACT, and CBT, I help men create safety in the body and process what has been stored for far too long. The goal is a life that no longer feels defined by what happened to you. The result is a man who feels grounded, present, and finally free from the weight of the past.
