Intrusive memories
Memories, flashbacks, dreams, or unexpected reminders bring the fear and distress of what happened back into the present.
Trauma & PTSD Therapy in Fort Myers
Therapy for trauma and PTSD
Intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, and triggers can leave you feeling constantly on edge. Trauma therapy can help you feel safer, calmer, and more in control of your life.
EMDR Certified Therapist • Over 30 years of experience • Fort Myers
When the past still feels present
What happened in the past can still affect your life and relationships today
Maybe you avoid certain places, conversations, or situations because you know how strongly you might react. A memory, sound, place, or unexpected reminder can suddenly bring back fear, shame, anger, or helplessness. Even something a partner, friend, or family member says or does can trigger a reaction connected to what happened before.
You may find yourself pulling away, becoming defensive, having difficulty trusting others, or reacting more strongly than you want to. You know the danger is over, yet your mind and body can still respond as if it isn’t.
These reactions can be confusing and exhausting, but they make sense in light of what you’ve experienced. And they can change.
Why trauma reactions can persist
There is a reason you still react even when you know you’re safe
Trauma can leave your mind and body highly sensitive to anything that resembles what happened before. A situation may be safe in the present, but a reminder can trigger fear, shame, anger, avoidance, numbness, or a physical stress response before you have time to think about it.
That’s why understanding what happened isn’t always enough to change how you feel or react. Trauma therapy can help address these automatic responses so the past has less control over your life today.
When trauma therapy may help
How trauma can continue to affect your life
Strong emotional reactions
You react more strongly than you want to or feel overwhelmed by fear, anger, panic, or other emotions that are hard to control.
Avoidance and numbing
You avoid certain people, places, conversations, memories, or emotions because they feel unsafe or overwhelming.
Always feeling on guard
You have trouble relaxing or feel watchful, tense, easily startled, or prepared for something to go wrong.
Guilt, shame, or self-blame
You blame yourself for what happened or carry guilt or shame that is difficult to let go of, even when you know differently.
Difficulty in relationship
Triggers can make it harder to trust, feel close, communicate openly, or respond to the people you care about in the way you want to.
How trauma therapy works
Moving at a pace that helps you feel safe and make lasting change
1
Building stability
We begin by helping you manage triggers, reduce overwhelm, and feel more grounded and in control. You’ll develop ways to handle difficult emotions and reactions before moving into deeper trauma work.
2
Processing what happened
When you’re ready, approaches such as EMDR and CBT can help you process painful experiences, reduce their emotional intensity, and change beliefs about yourself or what happened.
3
Moving forward
As the past loses its intensity, triggers can become less powerful and your reactions more manageable. The goal is to help you feel safer, more confident, and better able to live and relate to others without the past having so much influence.
Approaches used
Trauma therapy tailored to how trauma is affecting you
Trauma affects people in different ways. We may use EMDR to help reduce the intensity of distressing memories and triggers, CBT to change thoughts and behaviors that developed in response to what happened, and Christian counseling when you would like your faith incorporated into our work.
EMDR Therapy
EMDR can help distressing memories, triggers, and past experiences lose their emotional intensity so they no longer feel as present or overwhelming.
EMDR therapy →CBT Counseling
CBT can help you change fear-based thinking, avoidance, and other patterns that may have developed in response to what you experienced.
CBT counseling →Christian Counseling
When you want your faith to be part of counseling, we can thoughtfully incorporate biblical principles with evidence-based approaches in ways that support your therapy goals.
Christian counseling →Trauma therapy at Epp Counseling
Experienced trauma care you can trust
Hi! I’m Rachele Epp, an EMDR Certified Therapist with over 30 years of counseling experience helping adults work through painful experiences and the ways they continue to affect their lives.
Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of seeing clients experience profound relief as painful memories lose their intensity, triggers become less powerful, and the past no longer has the same hold on their lives. Seeing people regain a sense of freedom, peace, and confidence is one of the most rewarding parts of my work.
I understand that trauma can affect more than memories. It can shape how you feel, how your body reacts, what you believe about yourself, and how you respond in relationships. My goal is to help you address those patterns so you can move forward with greater freedom and confidence.
I see clients in my Fort Myers office and provide online counseling for adults throughout Florida.
Client experience
What change can look like after trauma
I went when I was suffering very heavy depression among other things. Epp Counseling was able to help me identify where the problems were and worked on a plan with me to overcome them. Now I’m feeling back to my old self and happier than I have been in a long time.Former Client
Frequently asked questions
Questions about trauma and PTSD therapy
How do I know if I have trauma or PTSD?
If something you experienced continues to affect your thoughts, emotions, relationships, or how your body reacts, trauma may be playing a role. You do not need to know whether you have PTSD before starting counseling. We can talk about what you are experiencing and determine together whether trauma-focused therapy may help.
Do I have to talk through every detail of what happened?
No. You do not have to describe every detail of what happened in order to work through trauma. Approaches such as EMDR can help you process distressing experiences without talking about everything in detail, and we will move at a pace that helps you feel safe and prepared.
How does EMDR help trauma?
EMDR helps your brain process distressing memories so they no longer carry the same emotional and physical intensity. You still remember what happened, but the memory can become less distressing and triggers may no longer produce the same powerful reactions.
What if I blame myself for what happened?
Guilt and self-blame are common after trauma, even when you were not responsible for what happened. We can carefully examine the beliefs you carry about yourself and what happened, helping you develop a more accurate and compassionate perspective.
Can Christian counseling be part of trauma therapy?
Yes, when you want it to be. Your Christian faith can be thoughtfully incorporated alongside evidence-based trauma therapy in ways that support your goals. Biblical principles are never used to dismiss your experiences or pressure you to move forward before you are ready.
What if spiritual language feels difficult because of what I went through?
Your experiences and preferences will be respected. Faith is incorporated only when you want it to be, and at a pace that respects your readiness. The focus is on providing counseling that feels safe, respectful, and helpful to you.
Start trauma therapy
The past does not have to keep controlling your present
You don’t need to keep living with painful memories, triggers, and reactions that make the past feel present. I’m here to help you work through what happened, reduce its hold on your life, and move forward with greater peace, freedom, and confidence.
Take the first step by requesting a free 15-minute phone consultation to talk about what you’re experiencing and whether working together may be a good fit.