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Affirming and compassionate therapy for trauma and relationships in Denver, CO.
 
 
Image of plant. Find your serene place to get the healing from trauma that you need! Trauma Therapy in Denver, Colorado and online is available for you!
 

Trauma Therapy in Denver, CO.

We believe in a connection-centered, evidence-based approach to trauma therapy.

This is the bread and butter of what we do here! Trauma is stored in the body and can impact us at a cellular level, coloring the lens through which we see ourselves, our relationships, and the world around us. This also means we carry our past in physical ways: a racing heart, heaviness in our chests, tightness while breathing, numbness, and more.

When we strip it down to the root, trauma can be defined as any experience that is too overwhelming for our nervous system to fully process.

The human condition itself is difficult, and daily life alone tasks our bodies and minds with discomfort. In the big picture, we all go through trauma — though this may look and feel different person to person. No one deserves to hold any type of trauma alone. We’re passionate about becoming the ones to stand beside you and your story.

 
 
 
 

Connection-Centered Trauma Therapy in Denver, CO.

Here at CZ Therapy Group, our approach to trauma therapy might look a little different from the past experiences you’ve had. We recognize that processing through trauma can be a traumatic experience itself if our connection doesn’t feel safe and affirming, or if you lack autonomy around the process. One of the reasons trauma is so damaging is because it isolates us from control and protection - your therapy experience should never mimic those things. You deserve a container for all that you’ve been holding by yourself for so long and we consider it an honor to be a witness to your story. Aside from promising safety and compassion, the unique part of therapy at CZTG is you play a central role in defining what that process looks like and feels like. 

Our trauma therapists in Denver, CO offer in person sessions and online options to best cater to your needs and preferences. Each of our trauma therapists are trained in various evidence-based methods of trauma therapy that allow us to work together to heal the root of trauma as opposed to simply treating the ‘symptoms’ we can see on the surface.

 
 

Some Areas we Can Support You In

Sexual Assault

Dissociation

Medical + Birth Trauma

Emotional Abuse

Childhood Abuse + Neglect

Relationship Abuse

Religious Trauma

Attachment Trauma

Identity-Based Trauma

 
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we specialize in helping clients heal trauma from the root using:

 
 
 
 
 

trauma can rewire our brains. so can therapy.

What we do here goes so much deeper than just ‘talking it out’ and understanding our trauma from a cognitive place. When we engage in trauma therapy from the root — aka our nervous system — we can create new, healthy neural networks in our brains to replace those that have been impacted by trauma. This flushes the “stuck” past from our bodies and allows us to flourish in the present moment and in our relationship with ourselves and others.

With a focus on our real-time emotional and body experiences during sessions, the healing and transformation process takes place during the session, rather than talking about the changes you should enact once you walk out of our office door. Increased connection to your emotions and core needs within the 50 minutes shared with your trauma therapist is the “work” itself! This human connection promotes change in a more enduring and meaningful way than something like completing a worksheet outside of session on your own.

 
 
 
 

Blog Posts: Trauma Therapy

01.

forming healthy relationships after abuse

02.

journal prompts for trauma survivors

03.

how our bodies protect us when we experience trauma

 
 
 
 
 

Undoing aloneness is the key to trauma healing.

 
Image of therapy office. Healing from attachment trauma is possible with the support of a Denver trauma therapist! Reach out to connect with a specialist on our team and learn more about trauma therapy in Denver, CO.
 

Attachment-focused trauma therapy helps us:

  • Understand how our caregivers impacted us growing up

  • Recognize how we adapted to that treatment

  • See how those coping mechanisms are still present in adult life (our attachment style)

  • Rediscover the needs of our younger selves, name them, and normalize them

  • Find healthy ways to fulfill those needs on our own and with others

On our own, this is a lot of work. With a non-shaming, mirroring other by our side, we learn to see our attachment styles as displays of resilience AND ways of being that are open to change. We often work towards attachment healing through EMDR therapy, parts work/inner child healing, and/or somatic therapy.

Universally, our trauma therapists use the client-therapist relationship as a vessel for healing.

By creating a mold for safe, healthy attachment experiences right here in our office, our work together becomes ground zero for the formation of new neural networks in your brain that set the tone for the type of relationships you’re able to create with others moving forward.

 

The reason for our “bottom-up” approach (treating the root in the body instead of the symptoms) is backed in basic neuroscience! Our nervous systems are equipped to guide us through stressful encounters that are short term and not debilitating to our physical or mental safety. When our nervous systems are required to face extreme threats and/or exist under high levels of chronic stress, our systems can get stuck in ‘trauma time’. We see these negative impacts on our moods, thoughts, appetites, sleep patterns, connection to others, and thoughts.

We simply aren’t designed to go through hard things on our own — so much so that our nervous systems often can’t get out of fight or flight mode until we have a safe person to co-regulate with. Each Denver trauma therapist at CZTG provides trauma therapy through this lens and wants to help free you from the thorns of the past. Our therapists consider your sense of safety and the co-creation of a roadmap to healing as the foundations of wellbeing. 

 

attachment-focused Trauma Therapy

Developing a more secure attachment style through trauma therapy.

There’s a lot to be said about attachment styles, but let’s break it down to its nuts and bolts here. Our attachment style describes the way we connect and communicate with others in relationships based on how our caregivers interacted with us as we grew up.

Secure attachment is modeled to us (or not) during our key developmental years. The reality is, even the most well-intentioned caregivers often miss the mark in meeting their child’s attachment needs. As a result, we may struggle creating secure, trusting relationships in adulthood, especially if our unmet attachment needs coincided with childhood trauma, abuse, or neglect. Many of our clients at CZTG have also experienced unhealthy or abusive relationships in adulthood, only further rattling their sense of safety in connection with others. 

We develop our attachment style - or attachment strategies, as our therapists like to call them - in response to missing or harmful attachment experiences in our past.

While these strategies are adaptive and help us make it through difficult or traumatic times, they can also pose barriers in our present day lives and relationships. For example, if your caregivers were unpredictable, explosive, and abusive growing up, you may utilize disorganized attachment strategies today - even in safe, healthy relationships. This may look like hyper awareness of subtle shifts in others, the deep desire for closeness while simultaneously pulling away out of fear, and an inability to know and express your needs.

As Denver trauma therapists, we specialize in helping clients navigate disorganized attachment (and all of the other attachment strategies in between). Learn more about how trauma impacts attachment styles and, if you’re curious, explore your own attachment style through this attachment style quiz.

 
Image of gold fans. If you struggle with an insecure attachment style, a trauma therapist in Denver may be able to help. Hop on a free consult call to learn if trauma therapy in Denver, CO is right for you!
 

 

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somatic therapy

Bringing our bodies into trauma therapy.

 

Our Denver trauma therapists use somatic trauma therapy as part of trauma healing. The phrase “holistic” is thrown around a lot in the mental health world- and this is what we mean by it: because trauma is stored in our nervous system (aka, our bodies!) we cannot get it “unstuck” without our bodies being part of the picture.

Holistic here means we identify emotions, thoughts, and body sensations that are triggered by or related to your trauma and use breath work and other grounding techniques to tell your body we can turn off fight or flight mode.

A common (and valid) misconception about somatic therapy is that it will “retrigger” the trauma. Retriggering the trauma may happen in our day to day lives with our without conscious triggers, and the experience can feel like total overwhelm and anxiety, total shutdown and numbness, or somewhere in between. These responses are protective and our body enacts them when it senses that a threat may be present. In the therapy room, your CZTG trauma therapist is trained to be aware of these cues, and if they show up, your therapist will help guide you into a safe state of present-mindedness. With time, therapy helps us build self-recognition of these transitions into protective or dissociated states, and you will have tools to regulate on your own and understand what your emotional needs in these moments are.

 
 
 

CONNECT WITH A DENVER TRAUMA THERAPIST

 
 
Photo of Denver parts work therapist Jordan Kurtz. Are you looking to heal your inner child? Explore how parts work therapy in Denver, CO can offer support and help you move past trauma.
 

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what’s makes your approach to trauma therapy different from traditional talk therapy?

Many other therapies focus solely on the impact of trauma on our thoughts: how it impacts our view of ourselves, the world, and others around us. The belief here is if we can identify the negative thoughts (i.e. “I should have done more”), we can change the “negative” behaviors that accompany them (i.e. drinking to cope). Thoughts are a powerful force in our wellbeing, but they are not everything, and our thoughts are often not as impactful as our emotions or our bodily reactions.

Trauma therapy incorporates understanding of our thoughts AND our bodily sensations, emotions, and coping mechanisms. This means that no part of your trauma’s impact is ignored: not your racing heart, not your anxious thoughts, not your distancing from others, not the sadness underneath. All of you is seen and moved towards healing through holistic trauma therapy.

 
 

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What can clients expect from you as their trauma therapist?


As your trauma therapist, my first step is to help you explore the ways your body stores and protects itself from trauma with the goal of creating a more empathic understanding of yourself. Together, we will create a safe container to hold the hardest things you’ve been through and undo the aloneness that trauma can so often cause. The aim of our work will always be guided by you, with the overarching process including nervous system regulation, attachment healing, and rewriting the stories that trauma has told you about yourself.

 
 
 
 

AEDP Therapy for Trauma | The CZTG Approach

AEDP stands for “Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy”. What a mouthful, right? Long story short, it’s a style of therapy that all trauma therapists at CZTG use that:

  • Sees the therapeutic relationship itself as a healing tool

  • Believes that all the ways we have adapted to trauma are “protections” that should be met with curiosity versus shame

  • Melts shame, guilt and anxiety to welcome the insightful emotions of anger, sadness, disgust, joy, and more

  • Understands body sensations as markers for emotional needs and nervous system safety

  • Emphasizes changes occurring in the moment, in the therapy room, and not just the past or the future

  • Balances focus on emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and the body

We interweave AEDP with a lot of other therapy styles, but it is the bread and butter of CZTG. It ensures that your relationship with your therapist is always attuned, collaborative, warm, and safe. It means that no part of your trauma’s impact will be judged or ignored. Most importantly, it allows you to be seen and heard comprehensively, and not as a ball of symptoms. 

 
 
 
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Image of the CZ Therapy Group logo in a frame. Experience how trauma therapy in Denver, CO can help you heal your inner child. Connect with a Denver trauma therapist on our team today.
 

Trauma Therapy for Dissociation

Ever been on your morning commute only to arrive at work with no memory of driving yourself there? we have too. This is an example of dissociation, and we all experience it to some degree. 

Traumatic experiences, especially when they occur multiple times or over a long period, can lead to a more constant sense of being disconnected from our bodies and the world around us. Our bodies use dissociation as a way to protect us from harm and relieve our fight or flight system. If we’ve experienced long-term trauma or abuse, our bodies have been working really hard to protect us for a long time. This can sometimes lead to us getting stuck in ‘protection mode’ even when we’re safe, resulting in experiences such as: 

  • difficulty remembering things                     

  • disconnection from actions and emotions 

  • a sense that you exist outside of your body 

  • feeling like the world around you isn’t real 

  • hearing voices in your mind that conflict with each other 

  • struggling to know who you are or what your core personality is like

Do any of these experiences resonate with you? If so, you might be experiencing dissociation. As strange as it might sound, this is actually a good thing!

Without dissociation playing its vital role in your day-to-day life, it’s likely that things would have been much too heavy and overwhelming for you to continue on as normal. Dissociation is like a big pause button or a stage curtain falling that says, There’s too much here. Let’s take a break. Sometimes we have control of this process, and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we are aware of it, and sometimes not. This is normal- our bodies are not as predictable, formulaic, or consistent as machines. 

So, although disassociation is protective, we also know how difficult it is to live in a body that’s over-functioning and disconnecting when you don’t need it to. Luckily, our nervous system is wired to heal - a trauma therapist on our team would love to support you in this process.

 

Parts Work Therapy for Trauma

we all have different ‘parts’ of ourselves that play key roles in our lives and relationships.

‘Parts’ represent different aspects of the self that have both experienced and persevered through trauma. Parts work therapy is a helpful way to identify different parts of ourselves, how they carried us through our trauma, and get in touch with the unmet needs those parts are carrying. We promote healing in the present when those parts are shown understanding and attuned to outside of fight or flight mode.

Something cool to note - parts work therapy can actually rewire the traumatized neural networks in our brain and is super effective for healing from trauma.

This is because it alters how our body responds to stress cues. Instead of our bodies interpreting stress in the present as danger similar to the past, parts work can help us pause, identify the emotions occurring in a given context, and feed our emotional needs instead of that ongoing panic loop we may be used to.  Whether

Parts work therapy can be an integral part of healing for those of us who have experienced childhood trauma and attachment wounding. Our therapists are here to support you - reach out to schedule a consult call or learn more about our approach to parts work therapy in Denver here.

 
Image of pampas grass. Are you looking to finally feel peace after the trauma you've experienced? Trauma Therapy in Denver, Co can help you heal! Reach out today!
 

 

 

emdr therapy for trauma healing.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy is a highly evidence-based trauma therapy used to treat the effects of trauma, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, dissociation, OCD, relationship difficulties, and so much more. Each Denver trauma therapist at CZTG is fully trained in EMDR therapy and able to offer it to their clients.

Using bilateral eye movements and/or gentle hand buzzers (as displayed in the photo), EMDR therapy helps your brain and body fully process trauma, moving you from a state of ‘stuckness in trauma time’ to a place of relief and freedom from the impacts of your trauma. While the memory of the trauma still exists post-EMDR, the emotional charge and impact on your thoughts, behaviors, and relationships will dissipate significantly, if not entirely. 

The trauma specialists at CZTG utilize EMDR therapy as one of many trauma treatments in our toolbox. While it’s not the right fit for everyone, many of our clients experience great relief through EMDR. If this information is pulling you in, be sure to explore more about Denver EMDR therapy on our dedicated EMDR page. And if you feel hesitant about EMDR therapy, know that we offer many other types of trauma treatment that can be equally as effective and will always tailor sessions to fit your needs.   

Image of EMDR therapy session. Healing from trauma with the support of EMDR therapy in Denver, CO can be transformative for trauma survivors. Reach out to connect with a Denver trauma therapist on our team to learn more!
 
 

 FAQ | Trauma Therapy in Denver, CO.

 

  • If you feel ready to process your trauma - or are just curious about what that might look like and mean for you - our practice could be a good fit!

    Many of our clients voice a sense of stuckness after years of traditional talk therapy and readiness to go deeper than what can be accessed on the surface. Others have never been to therapy before but have a gut sense that therapy for trauma is the right next step for them. Regardless of where you fall on this spectrum, we’d love to connect with you on a free 15-20 consult call to share more about our practice, learn more about you, and explore if we’re a good fit!

  • Yes! Each of our Denver trauma specialists are fully trained in EMDR trauma therapy and offer EMDR alongside other evidence-based methods of trauma treatment. Read more about our approach to Denver EMDR therapy here. 

  • Each therapist at CZTG works here because they have a passion for helping people heal through trauma. Unlike many group practices, we are not a generalist practice, meaning all of our therapists are required to obtain similar advanced training and ongoing consultation in trauma-specific modalities of therapy such as EMDR, AEDP, somatic therapy, and parts work therapy. We’re a tight-knit and deeply collaborative team of therapists who consult weekly, challenge each other to learn and grow continually, and who have dedicated our careers to providing the highest quality trauma therapy possible. 

  • While this is specific to each person, some of the descriptors of trauma therapy from current and past clients include: vulnerable, relieving, painful, grounding, inspiring, life altering, raw, exhausting, rejuvenating, clarifying, validating, weird. Part of our work together will be to co-create and define your unique therapy experience, with a focus on striking a delicate balance with what feels heavy but necessary to process and what feels relieving and resourcing as you move towards healing. 

  • We define “good” trauma therapy as therapy that walks the line between uncomfortable and unsafe but never crosses it. The advanced methods of therapy we’re trained in allow us to delicately and safely process trauma with our clients without overwhelming their nervous systems or causing retraumatization. We will always work collaboratively to identify your line and you always get to set the pace and aim of your sessions. 

  • We offer trauma therapy throughout Colorado and find that in person and virtual therapy are equally as effective. Some clients prefer in person sessions at our Denver therapy office, while others appreciate the convenience and comfort of meeting with their therapist from their own home. We leave this choice up to you! If you’re on the fence, we recommend trying a mixture of both settings to see what feels best. 

  • As much as we wish we had a magic wand, trauma therapy is not a quick fix and healing from the impacts of trauma takes time and consistency. We recommend weekly sessions whenever possible and can see clients at a minimum of every other week when finances or scheduling necessitate it.

 
 
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Get Started With Trauma Therapy in Denver, CO.

 
 
 

1. Reach out to schedule a free 20-minute consult call at CZTG.

2. Connect with the Denver trauma therapist of your choice via a phone consult.

 

3. Begin your process of exploration, healing, and growth.

 
 

Other CZTG Offerings: Therapy in Denver, CO.