clear blue sky, Katherine Driskell | Clear Blue Sky Therapy and Consulting

The Subjectivity of Trauma: It's All in the Brain of the Beholder

Trauma is a deeply personal and subjective experience, influenced by the meaning we assign to events. What might be traumatic for one person may not affect another in the same way, as individual experiences, beliefs, and values shape our perceptions. Surprisingly, seemingly minor events can sometimes leave a lasting impact, while larger incidents might be easier to dissociate from personally.

Our past experiences and resilience play critical roles in how we respond to traumatic events. Previous encounters with similar situations can intensify our reactions due to the brain’s tendency to connect past and present experiences. While resilience varies, some individuals may overcome trauma with relative ease, others may need additional support to navigate their emotional responses.

The presence of a support system is crucial in the processing and recovery from trauma. Friends, family, or professionals offering emotional support can provide a safe environment to express feelings and facilitate healing. In contrast, a lack of support can compound the challenges of dealing with trauma, underscoring the need for understanding and kindness in supporting those affected.

Meet Katherine L Driskell

About Katherine

Helping people find their clear blue sky possibilities after their storm

Katherine Driskell, MSW, LICSW has been in the non-profit and mental health space for more than 20 years. With experience in therapy with clients from 8 to 80+, in a variety of settings, she is able to start with clients where they are, and help them reach their goals.

She is a certified EMDR Therapist and Consultant-In-Training through EMDRIA and a Certified HeartMath Interventions Practitioner. She is a member of the Minnesota Society for Clinical Social Work.

She focuses on motivated clients with clear goals. She helps them meet their goals through short-term intensive work focused directly on the origins of the blocks and beliefs that hold them back. She works with high-achieving professionals and performers as well as individuals who have experienced traumas big and small. Located in the heart of the Destination Medical Center district in Rochester, Minnesota, she loves working with patients and their loved ones, doctors and providers to overcome the medical trauma that is sometimes part of healing and illness. She combines mental health and counseling knowledge and skills with cutting edge, research-supported approaches to remove barriers to achieving potential.

She has worked for the State of Minnesota providing mental health care to clients with chronic mental and behavioral challenges. She was in a leadership position at the Mayo Clinic for five years before joining a local non-profit organization to guide a program providing mental health therapists to provide care in schools.

Katherine is available for Consultation for EMDR Therapists who have completed EMDRIA-Approved Basic Training and want to pursue certification. Click here to join the next cohort.

Katherine has also provided license supervision to social workers and professional clinical counselors for nearly a decade. She sought supervision outside of her place of employment as well, knowing the value of an outside perspective and the protected space to grow that comes from a dedicated supervisory relationship. Clinicians must continually reflect on their own well-being and responses to the work they do with clients. In a safe, nurturing supervisory relationship, clinicians can become the healers they seek to be. Each year she takes on a small cohort of Clinical Social Workers and candidates for licensure as Professional Clinical Counselors for license supervision. Reach out to get on the waiting list for the next cohort here

Clear Blue Sky After the Storm

The Subjectivity of Trauma: It's All in the Brain of the Beholder

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