There is no real way to decide the effects of trauma. You can’t decide that someone should be fixed from something that happened to them. And it’s not a competition either. There’s no medal for who got the most hurt or whose pain was the most cinematic. Trauma therapy works in this reality.
Trauma is what happens when something overwhelms your nervous system’s ability to cope. It might have been a car crash, or a tragic case of abuse, but it can also be years of being subtly ignored, dismissed, or scared in your own house.
It’s the body that decides what’s traumatic, not your brain, which is infuriating. But this reality can be freeing as well. You are not causing this current reaction to something that happened in your past. It has its own presence in your nervous system. It has rearranged your brain. But there is hope. You have some power here: trauma therapy can help you find healing.
What Actually Causes Trauma?
We tend to think of trauma in big, bold strokes: assault, war, disaster. And this is true, things certainly cause trauma that needs healing. But the nervous system isn’t poetic or theatrical—it’s primitive.
If your body thinks you’re not safe, your trauma switch can get flipped. It might be neglect. It might be a controlling partner. It might be emotional abuse, so slow and consistent it became wallpaper.
Yes, trauma can come from abuse—physical, emotional, or sexual. But it can also come from poverty. From systemic injustice. From growing up around addiction, or mental illness, or chronic unpredictability.
It’s not about what happened. It’s about how what happened got trapped inside you.
What Trauma-Informed Therapy Actually Means
You can’t think your way out of trauma. And you can’t just outgrow it. You can’t productivity-hack your way out, either. You need a therapist who understands that trauma lives in your body just as much as your mind.
Trauma-informed therapy doesn’t just ask “What’s wrong with you?”—it asks, “What happened to you, and what did you have to do to survive?”
This kind of therapy is gentle, but not flimsy. It’s grounded in neuroscience—how trauma disrupts your brain’s systems, becomes the source of your threat response, and rewires your expectations of love, danger, and control.
A trauma-informed therapist knows how to help you feel safe again, not just functional.
Yes, Abuse Causes Trauma. But So Can Silence.
We don’t get to vote on what qualifies as abuse. If it hurt you and you had no power to stop it, that counts. Emotional abuse. Gaslighting. Childhood emotional neglect. Covert control in a relationship. All of it can leave invisible bruises that shape how you think, react, and trust.
And then there are the other wounds: watching your parent go numb with depression. Being told to stop crying when you needed help. Being the “good kid” while everything fell apart. These are the kinds of things trauma therapy unearths, gently. Not to relive the pain, but to get it unstuck.
Why Treating Trauma Actually Helps Everything Else
You might come to therapy saying you have anxiety, or trouble sleeping, or you’re just “off.” But often, what’s behind that is old trauma your nervous system is still living with every day. Untreated trauma doesn’t disappear—it mutates. Into panic, perfectionism, depression, addictions, and disconnection.
Treating trauma is like giving your brain back its ability to do some basic functions. It re-teaches your body how to come out of high alert. It reconnects the wires between your emotions and your ability to handle them. And slowly, steadily, it becomes possible to feel without flooding, to remember without reliving, to live without ducking.
Affordable Trauma Therapy in Southern California
Here’s the part that makes people stop short: therapy can feel out of reach. And yet, trauma doesn’t wait for your income to increase or your insurance to expand. That’s why trauma therapy that takes Medi-Cal can actually feel like it is saving your life. You shouldn’t have to be wealthy to heal.
At Redwood Counseling, we offer therapy that accepts Medi-Cal because we believe healing should be as accessible as the pain was. We provide trauma-informed, compassionate care for people who have lived through things they couldn’t put into words.
Signs You Might Benefit from Trauma Therapy:
- You’re constantly on edge, even when nothing’s “wrong”
- You feel numb, disconnected, or emotionally flat
- You overreact to minor triggers or shut down easily
- You struggle with trust, boundaries, or vulnerability
- You’ve experienced abuse, neglect, or ongoing stress
- You’re tired of coping and want to actually heal
It’s Not Just Therapy. It’s Repair Work.
There’s nothing wrong with you. There’s something wise in you that kept you going. And now that part of you deserves rest and repair. Trauma therapy that takes Medi-Cal is one of the most radical forms of self-respect available. It says: I’m allowed to heal.
If you’re in Southern California and you’re ready for help, Redwood Counseling is ready for you. See our therapy locations here that accept Medi-Cal, or call us and see if telehealth is an option for you. We offer therapy that sees the whole you, and support that meets you where you are. Call us today: 800-662-2873.
