Why Trauma Work Matters

(and Why CBT Might Not Be Working for You)

Maybe you’ve already tried therapy.

Maybe more than once.
You were told it was anxiety.
Or depression.
You got worksheets.
You learned how to challenge your thoughts
You did what you were supposed to do.

But you're still stuck.

You cannot think your way out of a body that doesn’t feel safe.

That’s where trauma work comes in. Not the kind that wants you to explain everything that ever happened to you in one long breath. Not the kind that only sees you as symptoms. I’m talking about the kind that honors your body. The way it remembers. The way it protects. The way it knows.

CBT, or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, is what most people are offered first. It’s structured. It’s tidy. And it helps many people. It’s a great basic skill set and can he very helpful. But for those who carry complex trauma, especially from childhood or from long, repeated harm, CBT alone can feel hollow. Like you’re planting seeds on top of frozen ground. No matter how hard you try to grow, something underneath keeps holding you back.

That is not your fault.

Your body is not the problem. Your body is the map.

What’s missing is a different direction. Bottom-up therapy works with your body instead of against it. Somatic work. Movement. Expressive arts. Parts work. Play. Silence. Slowness. These approaches don't go around the survival system. They start there. They make space for what has been buried. They let the story come through images, sound, sensation, or shape before it ever needs to be spoken.

And still, there’s something even deeper.

You were never meant to heal in isolation.

Trauma disconnects. That is its nature. It separates you from yourself, from others, from the feeling of being real and wanted and safe. Therapy helps. But sometimes what is missing isn’t a technique. It’s community. Real people. Not just helpers, but witnesses. Companions. People who know what it means to carry too much and still hope for more.

At SoulGround, we don’t promise quick fixes. But we do offer this: a place to remember you are not broken. A space where healing is allowed to be messy, creative, slow, and sacred. A space where your story is not just something to manage, but something to unfold, to reweave, to reclaim.

CBT might still be part of your care. That’s okay. But if it feels like something is still missing, you’re probably right. There is more available. You deserve that.

You are not too broken.

You are not too late.

You are just unfolding.

And we are ready when you are.

Previous
Previous

The Cycle of Abuse and DARVO

Next
Next

Groups Are Dumb…