Trauma Therapy
in Sarasota, FL
Does The Past Feel Like It’s Too Present In Your Life?
Do you go through your day feeling overwhelmed, fatigued, and overreactive to your surroundings? Are you struggling with PTSD symptoms such as:
- Flashbacks, nightmares, or panic attacks?
- Feelings of disconnection from yourself and others?
- A chronic sense of dread or hopelessness?
Maybe you experienced a life-changing disaster or accident and now you avoid any places or situations that remind you of what happened. Perhaps you suffered from a toxic or narcissistic relationship in your past, and that’s made it hard for you to trust other people. As a result, maybe you’re thinking it’s time to connect with a trauma counselor.
Trauma Can Impact Every Area Of Your Life
Your relationships may suffer, as your fear of being hurt again causes you to push people away and leads to conflict with your loved ones. You might have a tough time holding down a stable job, maintaining healthy relationships, and navigating everyday stressors without getting overwhelmed.
In the past, perhaps you’ve been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, OCD, or even ADHD—but you sense there’s more to the picture. Deep down, you feel like there’s something missing in your life, and you wonder if that’s because of painful experiences from your past.
If this is the case, you’ve come to the right place.
Here at Harmony Harbor, our therapists specialize in empowering trauma survivors to put the pain of the past behind them. Our approach is trauma-informed, evidence-based, and deeply holistic, addressing the mind, body, and spirit with equal care. We work with clients of all ages and are able to provide trauma therapy for children and teens as well as adults.
Have any questions? Send us a message!
If You’re Struggling With Trauma, You’re Not Alone
Trauma is everywhere in today’s world, exacting a hefty toll on individuals and their families. No one is immune to trauma, as it affects people of all races, creeds, nationalities and backgrounds. Women are slightly more likely to deal with trauma than men, and BIPOC and other marginalized groups are at a higher risk than the rest of the population.
At Harmony Harbor, many of our clients are the survivors of single-event traumas such as:
- Natural disasters
- Car accidents
- Sexual assault
- Loss of a loved one
- A difficult breakup or divorce
These events can cause chronic PTSD, which is what happens when the symptoms last longer than three months. At the same time, however, many clients are wrestling with traumas from childhood or abusive relationships, otherwise known as complex trauma or C-PTSD.
Many people who suffer from these complex, long-term emotional injuries don’t internalize them as trauma until much later in life—in most cases, when they first seek therapy.
Trauma Rewires Your Entire Nervous System
Oftentimes, people tell themselves that they can push through trauma on their own. The problem is that when you’ve suffered a traumatic event, your brain develops an automatic stress response to anything that reminds you of your experience.
As psychologist Peter Levine says in his book Waking the Tiger:
“When threatened or injured, all animals draw from a ‘library’ of possible responses. We orient, dodge, duck, stiffen, brace, retract, fight, flee, freeze, collapse, etc. All of these coordinated responses are somatically based—they are things that the body does to protect and defend itself.”
In other words, trauma is a survival mechanism. You can think of it like an internal alarm that goes off whenever danger is present, and in that sense, it serves a vital purpose. But sometimes, this trauma response becomes so powerful that it overwhelms your nervous system.
Be Held, Be Seen, And Heal Fully With The Power Of Trauma Therapy
Therapy should help trauma survivors experience post-traumatic growth, which is why at Harmony Harbor, our mission is to help people heal quickly and with the least discomfort. We don’t rely on traditional approaches like Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) or Prolonged Exposure (PE)—instead, we use cutting-edge trauma techniques that don’t require you to relive your experiences or overexpose yourself to stressors.
What’s more, we are definitely not your typical medical setting. Our office space is intentionally designed to feel calm and safe—it’s full of soft lighting, essential oils, and a warm, retreat-like atmosphere. Clients often say that they feel relaxed as soon as they walk in.
We are authentic, compassionate, and down-to-earth, and we are also fierce advocates for survivors. We know how many people—in particular women—are disbelieved, ridiculed, or exploited when they try to come forward about trauma and abuse. Our practice gives survivors a safe space to confidentially share their struggles without any fear of judgment.
What To Expect In Trauma Counseling Sessions
We offer a wide range of services for children, teens, and adults struggling with trauma, including:
- Individual therapy
- Family therapy
- Group therapy
- Wellness Workshops
Our mission is to help you find healing and restoration in your whole body and return your nervous system to a calm, optimal state, and we’ll use a variety of interventions to help you do so.
Many of our specialists endorse Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy, or KAP. This revolutionary approach to therapy can help you overcome looping thoughts and feelings of “stuckness,” and it can also help you explore your faith, spirituality, and existential questioning on a deeper level, allowing you to access your inner healer— a vital voice that needs to be heard in trauma recovery.
Harmony Harbor uses many other somatic-based therapy approaches to treat trauma and PTSD, including:
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- Accelerated Resolution Therapy or ART, which uses eye movements like EMDR, but ART is usually preferable because it is more efficient in resolving distressing memories and sensations
- Brainspotting, which also uses eye location to help you quickly process your memories and sensations around trauma experiences so that they no longer feel overwhelming
- Expressive Arts and Drama Therapy to channel your inner creativity as a means of healing trauma and rewriting your story from a more empowering perspective
- Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy, which uses breathing techniques and gentle movement to bring awareness, acceptance, and curiosity to the present moment
- Nature-based Therapy to help you rediscover the world around you through mindful exploration of nature’s rhythm and balanced ecosystems
At Harmony Harbor, we believe every trauma survivor deserves a place where their nervous system can finally exhale — a space where healing unfolds at a pace that feels safe and supported. With evidence-based, somatic, and integrative therapies, we support you not only in finding relief, but in rediscovering your inner strength and capacity for post-traumatic growth.
Our intention is that, here, you can reconnect with the parts of yourself that trauma tried to dim — and reclaim the wholeness, wisdom, and peace that have always belonged to you.
You May Have Some Questions About Trauma And PTSD Therapy…
While talk therapy can certainly benefit some trauma survivors, our clinicians recognize that many survivors need alternative routes to healing.
That’s why we use non-invasive techniques like Brainspotting and ART, which don’t require you to share the details of your traumatic experience. The eye movements and sensory techniques help your brain rewire its response to what happened without the need for retelling your story.
Thankfully, our holistic, evidence-based approaches allow for accelerated healing and usually bring relief to clients within one to five sessions. However, those with complex PTSD and developmental trauma may benefit from long-term counseling and ongoing trauma-informed care. Ultimately, everyone’s timeline is different, and it’s important to take things at your own pace.
We highly value the family system and believe parents should be involved in their child’s care. If your child is under 15, we’ll meet with you first and establish a plan of care that will best fit the whole family’s needs. From there, we’ll usually meet individually with your child or teen and include family along the way. We also offer parent support groups and multi-family groups and encourage you to maintain an active role in your child’s treatment.
Rest, Restore, and Rise Into Wholeness
Many clients have come to our therapy practice carrying lifelong traumas and left feeling unhindered by the pain of the past. With the right help and support, you, too, can experience restoration and healing, so that you can live your best life and rise into wholeness.
You deserve to have a team who is in your corner and understands trauma recovery. When you’re ready, we’re here to help you take back your life. Book an appointment with us today!
Trauma Therapy Blog Posts
2201 Cantu Ct, Suite 104
Sarasota, FL 34232
We are located in the Live Oak Office Building