Processing trauma in therapy does not simply mean “remembering and talking about what happened.” It involves helping the brain and body process overwhelming experiences that remain unresolved and continue to affect the present.

When an experience exceeds our capacity to cope, it may be stored as a vivid, ongoing memory (e.g., nightmares, flashbacks, emotional and physical tension), as if it is still happening. Trauma can arise from grief, loss, separation, difficult past experiences, abuse, or sexual trauma.