I incorporate a trauma-informed therapeutic approach from a systems framework.  In the therapeutic context, I ask the trauma-informed question, “what has happened to you?” instead of “what’s wrong with you?”. I believe thoughts and behaviors can be rooted in survival strategies which have helped you in the past, but perhaps have become unhealthy.  Your brain and body try to keep you safe, but when trauma occurs, it can have emotional, mental, physical, relational, and spiritual affects. These experiences occur within larger contexts, or systems, around you. Systems such as your values, relationships with friends or family, your workplace, your ethnic or cultural background, spiritual beliefs, or the larger society. Understanding these systems, validating the experience of trauma, and learning how to calm the brain and body are critical components of the healing process.