Trauma Therapy in Utah
When the Past Still Feels Present
You know what happened is over.
But sometimes, it doesn't feel that way.
Something reminds you of it.
A memory comes back.
Your body reacts before you've even had time to think.
Maybe you feel anxious or on edge.
Maybe you shut down.
Maybe you just want to get as far away from the feeling as possible.
So you try to:
Push the memories away
Avoid people, places, or situations that bring them back
Stay busy so you don't have time to think
Make sense of why it happened
Tell yourself you should be "over it" by now
Keep moving forward and hope eventually it stops affecting you
For a while, that might work.
Then something brings it back.
And suddenly, the past doesn't feel so far away.
What Trauma Actually Looks Like
When most people think about trauma, they picture PTSD.
Flashbacks.
Nightmares.
Panic.
And trauma can look like that.
But sometimes the effects of difficult experiences are much quieter.
You may be functioning, working, taking care of your responsibilities, and moving forward with your life...
while part of you still feels stuck in what happened.
It can look like:
Feeling constantly on guard or waiting for something to go wrong
Avoiding people, places, conversations, or situations that bring back difficult memories
Memories that still carry an intense emotional charge
Feeling disconnected, numb, or shut down
Difficulty trusting other people or feeling safe in relationships
Shame or self-blame about what happened
Having emotional or physical reactions that feel bigger than the situation
Feeling unsafe even when you know logically that you're safe
Trauma isn't defined only by what happened.
It's also about what your mind and body learned from what happened—and how those experiences continue showing up in your life now.
What happened may be part of your story.
It doesn't have to keep determining what comes next.
A Different Approach to Trauma Therapy
Many people spend years trying to move on from difficult experiences.
You might understand what happened. You might know you're safe now. You may have even talked about it in therapy before.
And yet, certain memories, images, or reminders can still bring back the same fear, distress, or physical reaction.
At Second Draft Psychotherapy, our trauma work may include Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART), depending on your needs and goals.
ACT helps you:
Step back from painful thoughts and stories instead of getting pulled into them
Make room for difficult emotions without letting them control your choices
Reduce avoidance of memories, feelings, and experiences
Reconnect with what matters most
Take action based on your values instead of fear
ART helps you:
Work directly with distressing memories and images
Use guided imagery and eye movements to process difficult experiences
Reduce the emotional and physical intensity connected to painful memories
Change distressing images associated with what happened
Help memories feel more like something that happened in the past
ART doesn't erase the memory or change what happened.
The goal is to help your brain respond differently to the memory so the past doesn't carry the same intensity into your life today.
What happened is part of your story.
It doesn't have to keep running the show.
Work With a Therapist Who Understands Trauma
Greyson Hunsaker, ACHMC
I help people who feel stuck in the effects of difficult or traumatic experiences find a way forward. My approach focuses on helping you process what happened, understand the patterns it may have left behind, and build greater freedom in how you respond to thoughts, emotions, and memories today.
When helpful, I integrate Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) to work more directly with distressing memories and experiences that continue to feel emotionally charged.
Specialties
Trauma & PTSD
Anxiety
Compulsive Behaviors
Therapy for Trauma in Utah
We offer online and in-person therapy for adults across Utah.
53-minute sessions
Secure telehealth
$175 per session
We are in-network with select insurance plans and also support out-of-network insurance reimbursement through a tool called Thrizer.
In-network with select plans, including:
Coverage varies by therapist and plan. We’ll verify your benefits before your first session.
What our sessions could look like
Trauma therapy is different than simply talking about what happened.
This is active, collaborative work designed to help you process difficult experiences and change the ways the past continues to show up in your life today.
Depending on your needs, sessions may focus on building skills for navigating difficult thoughts and emotions, understanding patterns that developed after trauma, or using Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) to work more directly with distressing memories.
As the work progresses, many people experience less emotional intensity around the past and greater freedom to engage with their lives in the present.
The memories may still be there.
But they no longer have to carry the same weight.
Together, we'll:
Understand how past experiences may be affecting you today
Notice patterns of avoidance, protection, or disconnection
Build greater flexibility around difficult thoughts and emotions
Process distressing memories using ART when appropriate
Reduce the emotional intensity connected to painful experiences
Reconnect with what matters most
Frequently Asked Questions
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No. You don't need a PTSD diagnosis—or even to be sure whether what happened "counts" as trauma.
If an experience from your past continues to affect how you feel, respond, connect with others, or move through your life today, therapy may be helpful.
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Accelerated Resolution Therapy is a trauma-focused psychotherapy that uses eye movements, guided imagery, and other techniques to help change the way distressing memories are experienced.
ART doesn't erase the memory or change what happened. The goal is to reduce the emotional and physical intensity attached to the memory so that remembering something no longer feels the same as reliving it.
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No. Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) are different trauma therapies, although they have some similarities.
Both use eye movements and can be used to work with distressing memories. ART follows its own structured protocol and incorporates techniques such as guided imagery and imagery rescripting.
If you've been looking for EMDR therapy, ART may be another trauma-focused approach worth considering.
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No. You remain in control of what you choose to share.
One feature of ART is that you can work with a memory internally without necessarily describing every detail of the experience to your therapist. Your therapist guides the process while you decide what you want to disclose.
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No. ART isn't designed to erase memories.
You can still remember what happened. The aim is to change the distressing emotional and physical response connected to the memory.
Think, "I remember it happened" rather than, "My brain and body are reacting like it's happening again."
Have more questions? We’re happy to help.
Ready to Move Forward?
What happened may always be part of your story.
But it doesn’t have to keep shaping how you feel, react, or move through your life today.
Let's find a different way forward—together.