Growth feels scary sometimes… and that’s okay!

Sometimes there are moments in growth that feel absolutely terrifying. It’s the moment of thinking “What have I done?!” while simultaneously not being able to stop the train. What that really is, is our brain’s sending the signal of “danger”. We get that signal when we don’t process in the moment what is happening, when things feel like they are going to fast. It is our amygdala that sends the signal throughout our body to get us to react to this danger. That signal feels like shaky hands, fast beating heart, tense muscles, fast breathing, racing thoughts, and the absolute need to get away from where you are.

This is what Free Life Counseling Services was built upon. That moment of terror and excitement. Like a hurricane. Intense, beautiful, and a whirlwind of not knowing what is going to happen.

Hi, my name is Dr. Charlotte Marie Lewis. I am a PhD in Counseling Education and Supervision. I am also a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with Diagnostic Privileges. I specialize in trauma treatment and neurodivergence. I sit with many of my patients in the chaos of their own storms and teach them to quiet the noise. I teach them somatic experiencing techniques so that they can reconnect with their body after being numb from trauma. I listen to their stories while gently invoking a calm presence to anchor their tolerance. I process trauma through the use of Brainspotting, where we find the neuropath that their trauma sits in, and process that trauma in a safe, warm environment.

For individuals who were traumatized, especially those with complex traumas, change can be the hardest part of trauma therapy. Their lives were turned upside down and they landed in Oz with their ruby slippers. Only, much like Dorothy, they have the power to return “home” to return to normal, they just need a little help along the way to realize their powers. Some journeys are quickly worked through. Some take years to unravel the existence of their trauma, to unravel the event that shook their lives, and to rebuilt what once was.

It is not that the individual does not want to change. It is that the individual is frightened to let go of what they feel is safe and step into what feels like uncharted dangerous territory, when in reality, it is stepping into a new existence of living with the both and. Living with both trauma and healing. Living with the existence of the event that happened, but learning to move differently to move past the trauma. THAT is what is scary to the individual.

You don’t have to take this journey alone…

Be bold enough to speak your story. Connect with others who understand. Build your support team! Start today. Start Now. Start wherever you are in your story. Mid sentence even! You have the power to make things happen. To move through mountains meant to bury you. You ARE enough, and you are so worth it.