This blog is written by the clinicians at Jonah Green and Associates, a mental health practice based in Kensington, MD that provides quality services for children, teens, families, and adults. It is intended as a resource for families who are seeking to expand their knowledge about mental health and mental health services, and also as a resource for families who are seeking quality mental health services, especially in the mid-Atlantic region.
For many years, psychotherapy was understood primarily as a conversation. Therapists and clients explored thoughts, feelings, memories, relationships, and unconscious patterns. Dialogue remains central to therapeutic healing. But over the past several decades, many therapists have come to appreciate that emotional wounds also live in our bodies.
Childhood trauma can result from acute or prolonged emotionally or physically threatening experiences, including abuse or neglect, accidents, illness, familial conflict, loss, violence and bullying, or discrimination. Traumatized children may feel overwhelmed, helpless, or shocked and have difficulty processing their experiences. Signs of trauma include prolonged anger, sadness, or fear; numbness; nightmares or flashbacks; irritability;