Trauma and PTSD therapists in Gilroy, California CA
Greg Whittaker
Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT
I am certified in and practice EMDR. A powerful tool for managing PTSD symptoms.
37 Years Experience
Dr. Kelly Smith
Psychologist, Ph.D.
Sometimes life is rough, sometimes you are the one who saw it, experienced it, or went through it. Most of these experiences we can think about, understand, and move on. But sometimes....there is that one ...(or more) which we can't just put down. It creeps into our dreams, it pushes into our heads when we drive by that spot, or look at that person who reminds us... It starts to take over our peace and impact our work, school, or relationships. When you have been through something hard that you cannot just let go and when you go home and others don't get it. It is time to reach out to someone who can help. It is possible to get this experience unstuck from your head, it is possible to turn things around. You can do things that you want to do rather than accepting that you are going to be damaged and struggle with certain things. You can let go of the anger, sleeplessness, and hypervigilance and connect with your family again and be happy. I offer four types of research-based therapies for trauma and PTSD: Prolonged Exposure (PE), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Eye Movement and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Trauma Focused: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF: CBT)
14 Years Experience
Dr. Donald Dufford
Psychologist, Ph.D. Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Director, Anxiety Treatment Services
At Anxiety Treatment Services we help you release stress and anxiety and lower nervous system hyper-arousal with CBT, breathing techniques, mindfulness meditation and lifestyle changes. Then using hypnotherapy and EMDR desensitize and heal the initial trauma and it's after effects.
38 Years Experience
Rory Valentine Diller
Registered Psychotherapist, M.A., LMFT Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #139783
Somatic Therapy incorporates body-based practices, Neuroscience, and Psychobiology into traditional Talk Therapy. This Holistic approach is particularly beneficial to Trauma Survivors struggling with symptoms of PTSD. Trauma impacts the Nervous System and brain functioning which often leaves traumatic experiences and trauma memories unprocessed in the body and unconscious mind, as Bessel van der Kolk famously stated, “The Body Keeps The Score.” This can lead to symptoms of PTSD (re-experiencing, flashbacks, angry outbursts, hyper vigilance, insomnia, anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue, chronic pain, dissociation, shame, and a fractured sense of Self) and requires understanding and focused attention to the mind-body connection during treatment and recovery.
8 Years Experience
Russell Wilkie
Marriage and Family Therapist, MFT
I use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to reduce the effects of trauma. Some of us have trauma that affects our bodies, others are emotional and some are more spiritual. Boundary violations of any kind can lead to PTSD, whether they are big "T" traumas or small "t" traumas, our brain can process through the event(s). We can get stuck in the left brain, right brain or amygdala and end up paralyzed. We use the eye movement to allow our three brains to calm down and listen to and soothe one another. Getting those three parts of your brain all active usually break the stranglehold of trauma.
36 Years Experience
Campbell Teen & Family Therapy, Inc.
Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, ACSW, APCC, AMFT
At CTFT we treat trauma primarily with EMDR. EMDR stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. It is a form of therapy that helps people heal from trauma or other distressing life experiences. EMDR therapy has been extensively researched and has demonstrated effectiveness for trauma. The research also shows that is it much more than a treatment for PTSD and can treat a wide variety of other disorders.
How does EMDR work?
Our brains have a natural way to recover from traumatic memories and events. This process involves communication between the amygdala (the alarm signal for stressful events), the hippocampus (which assists with learning, including memories about safety and danger) and the prefrontal cortex (which analyzes and controls behavior and emotion). Stress responses are part of our natural fight, flight, or freeze instincts. When distress from a disturbing event remains, the upsetting images, thoughts, and emotions may create feelings of overwhelm of being back in that moment or of being frozen in time. EMDR therapy helps the brain process these memories and allows normal healing to resume. The experience is still remembered but the fight, flight, or freeze response is resolved.
EMDR a powerful technique that helps people to identify negative beliefs they have about themselves and to replace them with more balanced, truthful or adaptive beliefs about themselves and the world they live in. EMDR uses eye movements, tapping, or sound as bilateral stimulation to help the brain to reactive it’s natural healing process. For many clients, after completing EMDR, when they remember the distressing life experience, they no longer have the emotional response or negative belief associated with that particular memory.
Can children and teens benefit from EMDR Therapy?
Yes! EMDR is appropriate for all ages, adults, teens and children. When treating a child or a teen, our therapists will use language that is appropriate for the age. We incorporate art, picture books and a sand tray as needed. For children we call it, “Eyes Moving to Digest and Recover” (Ana M. Gomez). We explain it like this, when your brain is full of bad memories or experiences, it needs to digest those memories, just like your stomach digests food. It breaks the memories down into smaller pieces and keeps what is good and healthy for you and gets rid of what is bad for you.
13 Years Experience
Dr. Michelle Wambach
Marriage and Family Therapist, Psy.D., LMFT
I specialize in treatment for trauma and PTSD, both current and past. I use EMDR for rapid relief and trauma based Cognitive-Behavioral therapy.
24 Years Experience
H. Yamel Medina
Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW
I'm a life long learner and create an environment for Trauma survivors wherein through learning, Clients can learn to feel more connected to themselves, others, and the world around them. Therapy is a process of self reflection and conversations that honor the struggles of life.
18 Years Experience
Misty Johnson
Counselor/Therapist, LCSW
I have been a state-certified to work with survivors of sexual violence for over ten years. I have worked with individual survivors as well as facilitate group therapy. I currently facilitate support groups for survivors in San Francisco as well as San Jose. I have many tools to offer to cope and heal from PTSD.
6 Years Experience
Jennifer Neilson
Licensed Professional Counselor, MA, LPCC, NCC
Despite the trauma you may have experienced and the uncertainty you may be feeling, you have inner resources to help you heal and thrive. Trauma does not define you.
10 Years Experience