Getting to the root of trauma

By Patricia Nugent

Ever wonder if your aching back or those sleepless nights could be linked to something else? It’s possible their root cause lies in a past traumatic event.

“There are many misconceptions about what trauma is and how it manifests in the body. People often think trauma only comes from extreme events, such as wars, natural disasters or personal assaults, but there’s a growing body of research that shows people can experience long-term emotional, mental and physical effects from events or circumstances that seem more benign,” says Lisa M. Borchert, M.A. Ed., LPCC, founder of Vivify Wellness at Avenues.

“Many times, even if no physical injury occurred during a traumatic event, a person can experience prolonged physical symptoms.”

Trauma can come from occurrences such as sudden serious illness, death of a family member, a distressing breakup, etc.

Not only can emotional trauma cause physical symptoms ranging from sleep issues and fatigue to high blood pressure, aches, weight changes and other chronic health conditions, but brain changes may lead to things like addiction or depression.

As the functional medicine field grows and seeks to discover the root cause of illness rather than simply treating the symptoms, so do the number of treatments available.

At Vivify, people can find relief from trauma through trauma counseling, yoga, meditation, massage (using trauma-specific techniques), and acupuncture.

Going forward, Vivify is bringing on additional acupuncture and massage options to provide more trauma relief.

Vivify also offers a host of wellness treatments including an infrared sauna, salt room, private and semi-private yoga, nutritional counseling, reiki and NeurOptimal brain training.

Vivify Wellness at Avenues is located within Ghent Square at 843 N. Cleveland-Massillon Road in Fairlawn. Call 330-576-4144 or visit VivifyWellnessAtAvenues.com for more information.