Reclaiming Your Body: Specialized Therapy for Medical-Related Trauma
A hospital or a doctor’s office is meant to be a place of healing. But for many, these environments become sites of profound fear, loss of control, and lasting trauma. Whether it was a life-threatening emergency, a traumatic birth, a frightening diagnosis, or a series of invasive procedures, medical events can leave an invisible imprint on the mind and body long after the physical wounds have healed.
At Cedar Tree Counseling of Oklahoma, we recognize that Medical Trauma is a distinct psychological injury. We provide a specialized, somatic-informed space to help you process these experiences, reduce medical-related anxiety, and feel safe in your own skin once again.
What is Medical-Related Trauma?
Medical trauma is an emotional and physiological response to a medical event or series of events. Unlike other forms of trauma, the “threat” is often internal—a body that feels like it is failing or being violated by necessary but invasive interventions.
We treat the various manifestations of this trauma, including:
- Acute Medical Events: Surviving a heart attack, stroke, accidental injury, or a stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
- Birth Trauma: Experiences during labor and delivery that involved life-threatening complications, lack of informed consent, or a sense of powerlessness.
- Chronic Illness & Diagnostic Trauma: The ongoing stress of managing a chronic condition or the psychological shock of a terminal or life-altering diagnosis.
- Medical Errors & Negligence: The betrayal of trust that occurs when a medical provider’s error leads to injury or prolonged suffering.
- Procedural Trauma: Lasting distress from invasive surgeries, painful treatments, or childhood medical experiences.
Symptoms of Medical PTSD
Many individuals don’t realize that their symptoms are actually signs of Medical Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These can include:
- Avoidance: Intense anxiety about follow-up appointments, or avoiding doctors, hospitals, and medical news entirely.
- Hyper-vigilance: Obsessively monitoring body sensations or heart rate, often leading to health-related panic attacks.
- Intrusive Memories: Flashbacks to the sounds (beeping monitors), smells (antiseptics), or sensations of the medical event.
- Body Betrayal: A profound sense of anger or “divorce” from your body, feeling as though it is an enemy you can no longer trust.
Our Specialized Clinical Approach
Healing from medical trauma requires a “bottom-up” approach because the trauma is stored in the nervous system’s response to bodily sensations.
1. Brainspotting & EMDR for Medical Triggers
These are our most powerful tools for medical trauma. They allow us to desensitize the “charge” associated with medical memories. We can target specific triggers—like the sound of an MRI or the feeling of a needle—and help the brain re-process them so they no longer spark a fight-or-flight response.
2. Rebuilding Bodily Autonomy
Medical procedures often involve being touched or manipulated without true agency. Our therapy focuses on restoring your sense of Bodily Autonomy. We help you move from being a “patient” (someone to whom things are done) to an “agent” (someone who has choice and power over their body).
3. Somatic Regulation
We teach you how to calm a nervous system that has become hyper-sensitized to physical sensations. By learning to distinguish between “normal body noise” and a “true medical emergency,” you can reduce the cycle of health anxiety and panic.
4. Processing Grief and the “New Normal”
Medical trauma often involves a loss—loss of health, loss of a “perfect” birth experience, or loss of a future you had imagined. We provide a compassionate space to grieve these losses and integrate your experience into a new, resilient sense of self.
Why Specialized Care Matters
You may have been told you should just be “grateful to be alive” or “grateful for a healthy baby.” While gratitude may exist, it does not erase the trauma. At Cedar Tree Counseling, we hold space for the complexity of your experience. We offer the clinical expertise to ensure that your medical history does not become your psychological destiny.
Healing Beyond the Physical. Find a Compassionate Therapist in Tulsa, OK
Your body has been through enough. It’s time to give your mind and nervous system the same expert care your physical body received. If you are struggling with medical-related fear, birth trauma, or the weight of a chronic diagnosis in Tulsa, OK, we are here to help you find your way back to peace. Contact Cedar Tree Counseling today to schedule your confidential appointment and begin the process of reclaiming your safety and your life.