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Seattle Trauma Counseling

Military and Combat Trauma

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We provide highly confidential treatment and support for veterans and those on Active Duty.

Our therapists provide cutting edge, evidence based trauma treatment and support for veterans and those on active duty. Sometimes when we leave the service, our experiences can’t easily be left behind.
Studies currently show that veterans are at higher risk of suffering from PTSD than those in the general population. Military personel also face unique, even ridiculous barriers to accessing adequate treatment; These include the requirement that they have either an honorable or general discharge to access Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical benefits, long waiting lists at VA medical centers, and the social stigma associated with mental illness within military communities. According to a study conducted by the RAND Center for Military Health Policy Research, less than half of returning veterans needing mental health services receive any treatment at all, and of those receiving treatment for PTSD and major depression, less than one-third are receiving evidence-based care.


Have you ever experienced a memory that is so strong it seems to swallow you up?

You have to fight to keep yourself really in the present moment? Has this ever happened while you were at work and you did not want anyone to know because you’re afraid of what it might mean?
When this kind of experience happens it does not mean you’re weak, or losing your mind. It means that you’re re-experiencing something that is unresolved in you. It just means you need to consider getting some help from someone who understands and knows you are not weak or crazy.
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Understanding Combat pTSD

You can tell when PTSD starts as suddenly you feel like your steel container has sprung a leak and you find yourself getting angry all the time or losing control of your emotions and you have no idea why.
At some point in their lifetime, 8-12% of the US population suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In comparison, up to 18.7% of Vietnam veterans have had PTSD in their lifetime, and up to 19.9% of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom veterans had PTSD within a year of returning from deployment.
To have PTSD  a person must first experience a traumatic event. While the event itself can be very subjective, the DSM 5 defines this as an event outside the realm of daily human existence that evokes fear, helplessness, and/or feelings like being really numb or out of body.
As a result of this event, the individual must also suffer from three clusters of symptoms: re-experiencing, avoidance, and hyperarousal. The re-experiencing cluster of symptoms includes reliving memories of the event, which can be through intrusive thoughts and memories that seem to invade your conscious mind without your permission.  and intrusive recollection of the event. Some also experience an avoidance cluster of symptoms that includes general numbness and increased lack of interest in activities and relationships; Sometimes you feel unreal or like others around you are experiencing things that are unreal. There is also  hyperarousal  symptoms that include the startle response,  difficulty sleeping, and the inability to control arising emotions such as anger.
The biggest idfference between civilian PTSD and Veteran PTSD is that most Vets do not seek help and thus have a much higher suicide rate compared to that of civilians. If you or another vet you know has been contemplating suicide please contact us to schedule an appointment right away.

Sometimes we don’t really notice what we feel or care. We may just drink, smoke and isolate. Your partner may want to talk with you and you may not want to talk at all. You may feel incredibly angry or guilty all the time and not really know why. You may have really underestimated how much combat has affected you. Getting angry for no reason at all is a symptom of PTSD. Anger is fundamentally a defensive emotion and is a part of the fight or flight response biologically wired into us. Conversely for those working in the armed forces or law enforcement, we are trained to live in the state of fight or flight. A state of being hypervigilant to trouble and responding. However, most of us do not realize that we are not biologically built to live in a perpetual state of hypervigilant anxiety. Being ready for the worst all the time is going to affect how we perceive the world around us outside of work and take a big toll on our mental health.

Most therapists and counselors don’t understand that when you serve in the US military you are part of the largest subculture within our culture. Currently there are a total of 1.46 Million active personnel in the US military. As part of that culture you have worked to earn a certain level of respect and honor. When a therapist gives a diagnosis for insurance purposes that information is not kept confidential by your insurance company but reported directly to your CO. As HIPPA is not designed to protect the public but insurance companies. Having your career, rank and financial stability taken away just because your trying to get help is unnecessary. Someone who respects your culture should understand it and work to support you within it. We will work carefully with you to make sure you do not lose your job.

We have heard this from a lot of Vets in the service and we believe you. We know its true. There is a huge amount of research emerging that demonstrates and suggests that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Prolonged Exposure therapy and talk therapy in general are not helpful in resolving PTSD for veterans. (Read, "The Body keeps the Score" by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk)  Looking at the dropout rate studies alone in prolonged exposure therapy attendance is enough to show you there is something wrong with this method that vets don’t want to stick with it.
Seattle Trauma Counseling does not utilize these outdated methods, but will instead introduce you to cutting edge methods that can reduce anger, depression and help resolve panic attacks and anxiety.

Yes we can. Do you ever find yourself waking up anxious and you don’t remember why? Do you wake up in the middle of catastrophic thoughts or feelings?
Sleep is an important time that allows the mind to enter into a state of rest and regeneration. It allows the body to relax the nervous system. When this is not happening, when your sleep is like being awake, its like continuing on in the same stressful reality, this wears you down. We can show you how to gain back control over your sleep time through teaching you the ancient art of lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming is a technique that has been shown to be known as far back as 5000 years ago in the Egyptian book of the dead. It is now continuously studied for its psychological applications in the Stanford University sleep laboratory.

You do not have to let fear define who you are.

Contact us to schedule a free consultation session
Schedule a Free Consultation
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Seattle Trauma Counseling is a collective of licensed somatic trauma therapists co-founded in 2015, with offices in Edmonds and Kirkland, Washington, and telehealth across the state.

We specialize in EMDR, Brainspotting, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and Internal Family Systems for trauma, PTSD, complex trauma, religious trauma, sexual trauma, anxiety, and dissociation.
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Contact Details
Edmonds
8923 240th St SW,
Edmonds, WA 98026
United States
Kirkland
10512 NE 68th St #202,
Kirkland, WA 98033
United States
Phone
(206) 552-8207
Whatsapp
1 253-3933251
Email

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