Kardia is multi-faceted institution working alongside with multi-disciplinary teams to assist victims dealing with complexed trauma, child abuse and child sexual abuse. Kardia assists in Assessments, Forensic Facilitation, Court Reports, Case Management for Court, Interactional Analysis, Trauma Intervention, EMDR therapy with specialization in EMDR for Children. Kardia also develops and provide training for professionals working with children.
DEFINITION OF TRAUMA
“Trauma can be defined as a psychological, emotional response to an event or multiple experiences that is deeply distressing or disturbing to your mind, body and soul. It can be a moment where you feel your life is over and you are going to die. Trauma can be prolonged over a period of time where you were exposed to violence in your home, substance abuse, crime or where you were the victim of humiliation, bullying, sexual abuse or child abuse. It is an uncontrollable situation where you can’t do anything to protect yourself. Trauma leaves you numb with a feeling of helplessness and hopelessness. Trauma changes your life and has a irreversible effect on your brain. This effect can be seen in your response to situations, how you see yourself, life and the world, how you make choices and of course your relationships. It changes your emotional and cognitive functioning and often leads to psychiatric disorders if left untreated.
Everyone processes a traumatic event in a different way because we all face trauma through the lens of prior experiences in our lives”.
Dr. Antoinette Beukes, Ph.D
Trauma Counselling is one of the most notable ways to deal with past experiences that left a person with psychological wounds. We work together through the process of healing which assist you to deal with the symptoms that left you feeling overwhelmed, impacted your daily functioning and your emotional wellbeing.
"We have learned that trauma is not just an event that took place sometime in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain and body."
- Dr Bessel van der Kolk
"Untreated trauma can develop over time in mental health disorders like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Depression, Anxiety and mood disorders.
Trauma can have an impact on your cognitive as well as your daily functioning.
It takes time, trust and courage to heal from trauma. Take your power back!"
- Dr Antoinette Beukes
Trauma is not only the occurrence of events and experiences, but the absence of love, safety, trust, belonging and connection.
During Counselling & Therapy we focus on:
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Identifying the wounded & dysfunctional parts
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Emotions & Feelings
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Feelings of guilt & shame
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Healthy relationships
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Your triggers and your responses
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Emotional Regulation
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Self-compassion, empathy and kindness
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Self-love & blocking beliefs about yourself
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Self-worth & Self-esteem
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Healthy boundaries
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Building healthy relationships
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Conflict handling & anger management
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Gratitude & Mindfulness practices
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Forgiving yourself & others
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Taking your power & control back
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Giving yourself permission to be happy again
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Living a healthy lifestyle & meaningful life
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Living in survival mode: hypervigilant, fight & flight response
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Chronic people pleasing & apologising
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Lack of boundaries
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Fear of rejection and/or abandonment
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Attracts Narcissistic partners & form toxic relationships or unavailable partners
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Tolerate abusive behaviour
What do we address in therapy & counselling?
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Low self-esteem
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No trust in others or yourself
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Low sense of self-worth
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Co-Dependency in relationships
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Struggle with cognitive functioning: concentration/brain-fog
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Disconnected from the 'true self' and own needs
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Self-destructive behaviours: eating disorders/substance & drug abuse/self-harm
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Seeking validation & approval
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Hoarding, emotions, people and can't let go of your past
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Trying to fix others
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Need to proof themselves
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Attachment issues: struggle with personal relationships and marital relationships
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Mood disorders
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Mental & Psychological Issues
There is power in healing. Take your power back!
Let's talk about PTSD:
POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
"Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events or set of circumstances. An individual may experience this as emotionally or physically harmful or life-threatening and may affect mental, physical, social, and/or spiritual well-being. Examples include natural disasters, serious accidents, terrorist acts, war/combat, rape/sexual assault, historical trauma, intimate partner violence and bullying, severe illness.
PTSD has been known by many names in the past, such as “shell shock” during the years of World War I and “combat fatigue” after World War II, but PTSD does not just happen to combat veterans. PTSD can occur in all people, of any ethnicity, nationality or culture, and at any age. PTSD affects approximately 3.5 percent of U.S. adults every year. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD in adolescents ages 13 -18 is 8%. An estimate one in 11 people will be diagnosed with PTSD in their lifetime. Women are twice as likely as men to have PTSD. Three ethnic groups – U.S. Latinos, African Americans, and Native Americans/Alaska Natives – are disproportionately affected and have higher rates of PTSD than non-Latino whites.
People with PTSD have intense, disturbing thoughts and feelings related to their experience that last long after the traumatic event has ended. They may relive the event through flashbacks or nightmares; they may feel sadness, fear or anger; and they may feel detached or estranged from other people. People with PTSD may avoid situations or people that remind them of the traumatic event, and they may have strong negative reactions to something as ordinary as a loud noise or an accidental touch." American Psychiatric Association.
SIGNS & SYMPTOMS OF PTSD
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Intrusion: Intrusive thoughts such as repeated, involuntary memories; distressing dreams; or flashbacks of the traumatic event. Flashbacks may be so vivid that people feel they are reliving the traumatic experience or seeing it before their eyes.
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Avoidance: Avoiding reminders of the traumatic event may include avoiding people, places, activities, objects and situations that may trigger distressing memories. People may try to avoid remembering or thinking about the traumatic event. They may resist talking about what happened or how they feel about it.
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Alterations in cognition and mood: Inability to remember important aspects of the traumatic event, negative thoughts and feelings leading to ongoing and distorted beliefs about oneself or others (e.g., “I am bad,” “No one can be trusted”); distorted thoughts about the cause or consequences of the event leading to wrongly blaming self or other; ongoing fear, horror, anger, guilt or shame; much less interest in activities previously enjoyed; feeling detached or estranged from others; or being unable to experience positive emotions (a void of happiness or satisfaction).
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Alterations in arousal and reactivity: Arousal and reactive symptoms may include being irritable and having angry outbursts; behaving recklessly or in a self-destructive way; being overly watchful of one's surroundings in a suspecting way; being easily startled; or having problems concentrating or sleeping.