The Crisis Connection might be a good place to start. They offer counseling and referrals. They have a website, http://www.crisis.org/ and a hot line: Minnesota Crisis Line 612-379-6363 (Toll Free MN 1-866-379-6363).
The therapist I see does a type of therapy with me called EMDR, which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (http://www.emdr.com/), which sounds really clinical and a little scary, I think. But it’s actually really cool. The idea is that when exposed to trauma, your brain can get stuck in a loop and can’t move past it. Then whenever you get triggered by something that reminds you of the trauma, you re-experience the emotions and fright, or have a full-blown flashback. EMDR is a way of helping keep your brain connected and focused so you can process the emotions and move past the trauma. It is sometimes done by having the individual follow a moving object (a light or the therapist’s hand) back and forth with his/her eyes while concentrating on the emotions at hand. It can also be done with alternate tapping on the client’s knees or hands, or with little alternating vibrating knobs that you hold in your hands. I have been using EMDR for several years to help me move past my own traumas, and have found it very helpful. Before EMDR, I would sit in a therapy session and just freeze up. I’d be unable to articulate what was going on inside. That was one reason I gave EMDR a try - you don’t talk while you’re doing the back and forth concentration. I’ve been able to have some real breakthroughs and wonderful realizations that I can then talk to my therapist about. The website I listed above has a page where you can search for a therapist in your area who is trained in EMDR.
Hope that helps.
