
Amy Duckwall, PsyD
Trauma Therapy and Help for PTSD
Offered in person in South Orange County and online across California and Texas
Do you find yourself unable to stop thinking about a painful past event, even though it's not happening anymore and you want to focus on anything else?
Maybe you're struggling to get sleep because nightmares or intrusive thoughts you can't seem to control won't let you relax. And during the day, you're irritable and prone to losing your temper and yelling at coworkers or even your boss, or your children and your partner, even though you know they aren't really what's bothering you. You know something feels broken inside but can't find anything to make the feelings go away.
Maybe you're starting to feel--believe, even--that you're crazy, you're never going to get better, and everyone is going to find out you can't handle anything anymore.
Symptoms of PTSD
​Anyone can experience trauma, but the lingering effects are very different across individuals, and not everyone ends up diagnosed with PTSD. Some of the symptoms of PTSD can include:
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Nightmares
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Difficulty going to sleep or staying asleep
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Irritability or reactivity (or other surges in emotion that seem out of proportion to a situation or event)
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Detachment or numbness from others or from your overall life
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Intense or disturbing thoughts
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Changes in appetite
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Increased sadness or fear
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Difficulty concentrating
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Problems with memory or recall
How can trauma therapy in Orange County help me?
As a clinical psychologist located in San Clemente, CA, I have many years of experience helping my therapy clients uncover the root cause of their symptoms of PTSD and trauma, and learn how to reduce and manage the thoughts, emotions, and connected behaviors that once were key to survival but now are maladaptive and don't serve the clients well in their relationships and life roles.
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We'll use a combination of talk therapy, psychoeducation, coping skills, and EMDR to help your brain learn how to work through and make peace with dysfunctional reactions and intense emotions, so you can grow a space between "trigger" and "response" and be truly in charge of how you want to live your life from a sense of peace and happiness.
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Counseling for trauma and symptoms of PTSD can help you:
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Gain compassion and understanding about your lived experiences
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Improve your sense of self-worth and self-esteem
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Enhance your relationships and ability to communicate your wants and needs
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Get to the core of difficult past events and memories so you can live more fully in the present
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Grow emotional resilience and empower yourself to build and maintain healthy boundaries in your life roles