Stop the cycle of survival loops. Our expert guide on couples counseling for complex trauma explains the biology of healing and how to rebuild safe attunement.

Overcome intimacy barriers after trauma. Learn how trauma-informed sex therapy safely rewires somatic memory using proven EMDR, DBT, and somatic skills.

For many survivors of abuse, traditional "talk therapy" eventually hits a plateau. You may have spent years articulating what happened to you, deconstructing the abuser's tactics, and understanding your triggers intellectually.

People stay in abusive relationships not due to weakness, but due to a powerful biological phenomenon called a Trauma Bond. This occurs when the brain becomes "addicted" to the dopamine rush of reconciliation following the cortisol spike of abuse, creating a cycle that is as physically difficult to break as a chemical dependency.

In modern life it is very common to become disconnected from the ones around us. When this disconnection is the result of being excluded by others, the effect on our mental health can be very serious. We may have experienced abandonment as children, with ghosts of our experience still haunting us. We may also be (or feel) abandoned as adults by our loved ones, whether that be by friends, family or romantic partners. In any of these cases, it is best to think of abandonment as a type of trauma.

Many people have experienced betrayal in some form or another, but very few think of it as a traumatic event. In fact, when most people hear the word “trauma” they immediately think of war veterans or people who have experienced physical or sexual abuse.

For those of you who may still be on the fence about whether or not your relationship is abusive, however, reflect for a moment on the following (the opposite of an abusive relationship):

When you go through trauma, it often feels like someone reached into the cockpit of your life and swapped out the flight manual. One day you’re moving through the world with a bit of ease; the next, you feel as vulnerable as a turtle without its shell.

Whole Wellness Therapy understands that any successful approach to mental health must be holistic to succeed. One of our core techniques is acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which works to radically change our relationship with our emotions. What makes ACT successful for treating many mental health conditions, including trauma, is its use of mindfulness. Yoga itself can be a meditative and mindful practice, as the yogic asanas (postures) and focus on breath work not only allow us to get better in touch with our bodies, but provide an excellent starting place for us to better understand our own minds.