Graphic of a triangle to symbolize a three-phase model of trauma recovery.

The Neuro Nuance Approach to Trauma Recovery

The Three-Phased Model

Trauma Focused versus Trauma Informed

Alex Penrod, MS, LPC, LCDC

EMDR Therapist | Founder, Neuro Nuance Therapy and EMDR, PLLC | Austin, TX

These days, “trauma” is everywhere: on therapy websites, social media, and mental health blogs. But not all trauma content, or therapy, is created equal. Understanding the difference between being trauma-informed and being trauma-focused can help you choose the right provider for your needs, especially if you're seeking meaningful, lasting healing.

What Does Trauma-Informed Mean?

A trauma-informed therapist understands how trauma impacts the brain, body, and behavior. This often includes knowledge of the ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study, which revealed a strong connection between early trauma and long-term health outcomes.

Trauma-informed care means your therapist recognizes that trauma may be part of your story, even if it’s not what you initially came to therapy for. It means they’ll approach you with empathy, attune to your nervous system, and avoid re-traumatization. This is essential for any ethical, respectful therapeutic relationship.

But trauma-informed care is often just the starting point.

What Makes a Therapist Trauma-Focused?

A trauma-focused therapist doesn’t just understand trauma, they specialize in treating it.

This means their practice is built around the assessment, treatment, and long-term resolution of trauma symptoms using evidence-based methods that go beyond supportive talk therapy. It also means they’ve undergone advanced training in the neuroscience of trauma, dissociation, memory reconsolidation, and nervous system regulation.

While trauma-informed therapists may recognize how trauma shapes the present, trauma-focused therapists are equipped to help you process it at the root, so it no longer controls your life from the background.

My Approach: Reclaim the Present, Reprocess the Past, Build the Future

I work from a trauma-focused lens that balances immediate support with long-term healing. Here's how that unfolds in therapy:

  1. Safety and Stabilization
    We begin by addressing the symptoms and stressors affecting you right now. If you’re in a mental health or life crisis, we prioritize getting you back to baseline. You’ll learn practical tools to regulate your nervous system and feel more in control, because no deep healing can happen without a foundation of safety.

  2. Memory Reprocessing
    Once we’ve built enough stability, we gradually begin reprocessing the past using EMDR, ego state therapy, and neuroscience-informed strategies. This is where deeper healing happens, by shifting the way your brain holds traumatic memories and releasing the emotional and physical responses tied to them.

  3. Reintegration and Growth
    After reprocessing, we focus on helping you live more fully in the present. This may involve integrating different parts of yourself, adjusting to life’s challenges outside of trauma, building healthier relationships, and supporting your goals moving forward.

What Sets Trauma-Focused Therapy Apart

If you're considering trauma-focused care, here are a few key qualifications to look for in your therapist:

  • Advanced training in the neurobiology of trauma, dissociation, and memory processing

  • Ability to differentiate PTSD, Complex PTSD, and dissociative disorders like DID

  • Mastery of the three-phase model of trauma treatment

  • Competence in more than one modality (e.g., EMDR, IFS/parts work, somatic strategies)

  • A practice built around trauma—not general mental health concerns

My Philosophy

I bring a warm, collaborative, and deeply respectful approach to this work. You are the expert on your experience, and your input guides the pace and direction of therapy. I’ll never push you to go further than you're ready for, and I trust your intuition when it comes to what feels safe and meaningful.

Healing from trauma isn’t a one-size-fits-all process. But with the right support, it is possible. If you're looking for a therapist who combines deep expertise with a grounded, relational approach, I’d be honored to walk alongside you.

Next, we’ll take a deeper dive into the three phases.

The Three Phase Approach to Trauma Recovery

Photo of a road sign that says slowly please to symbolize how a trauma therapist in Austin, TX should move cautiously and thoughtfully early in trauma therapy.

Phase 1: Safety and Stabilization

Focus:

  • Establishing emotional and psychological safety, improving stability in daily life, and reducing the worst symptoms.

Strategies:

  • Building and strengthening the therapeutic relationship.

  • Learning coping and grounding skills to better regulate the nervous system and emotions.

  • Reducing dissociation and internal conflict so memory exposure can be tolerated and effective.

Therapies:

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Preparation Phase

  • Ego State Therapy

  • Internal Family Systems Therapy

  • Somatic Techniques

  • Breathwork and Mindfulness

Photo inside of a tunnel with light and trees coming into view at the end to symbolize the metaphor of traveling through the tunnel of memory reprocessing with a trauma therapist in Austin, TX.

Phase 2: Memory Reprocessing

Focus:

  • Activating traumatic memories at a safe and tolerable pace, desensitizing them, and reprocessing negative beliefs.

Strategies:

  • Identifying the most relevant memories that can be safely tolerated as a starting point.

  • Ensuring coping skills and containment skills are sufficient.

  • Monitoring the response to stay in window of tolerance.

Therapies:

  • Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Phases 3 - 7

  • Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET)

Photo of 6 people sitting on a ledge with arms wrapped over each others shoulders to symbolize becoming reconnected and integrated in social relationships in the third phase of working with a trauma therapist in Austin, TX.

Phase 3: Reintegration and Growth

Focus:

  • Integrating the trauma into the greater narrative of life, reconnecting with self and others, and building a new future.

Strategies:

  • Integrating new perspectives into current life.

  • Clarifying personal values and developing a sense of identity and purpose.

  • Adjusting to having hope again and maintaining stability while stepping outside of comfort zone.

Therapies:

  • Person Centered Therapy

  • Existential Therapy

  • Life Skills Counseling

  • Goal Setting

  • Boundaries and Relationship Counseling

Post-Traumatic Growth

Image of a person's hand holding the roots of a blooming plant above the dirt with a woman smiling in the background, symbolizing post-traumatic growth after trauma therapy.

Living with the enduring effects of trauma can feel isolating and restrictive, often hindering personal development. As you begin to heal and build confidence, new opportunities for growth can be both exciting and overwhelming. When your brain starts to perceive life as something to explore rather than merely endure, the focus shifts to navigating this new landscape while preserving the stability established in earlier phases.

Phase 3 is all about post-traumatic growth. Instead of returning to who you were, you may evolve into a more intentional and harmonious version of yourself. Given that complex trauma often begins in childhood, this phase offers a unique chance to develop or redefine your personal identity in a way that feels positive and empowering. It’s like resuming a natural process of personal evolution that was stuck because trauma took priority and resources.

This might lead to new hobbies, career paths, relationships, or surprising self-discoveries. Witnessing my clients reach this stage is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my work.

Photo of Alex Penrod, MS, LPC, LCDC, EMDR Therapist in Austin, TX and founder of Neuro Nuance Therapy and EMDR, PLLC.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Click the button below to meet with me personally and find out if EMDR might be the right path for you.