Rachel Lohrman, LPC | Trauma Therapist in Tucson, AZ
Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) Trauma Therapist in Tucson
Trauma Therapy in Tucson
RACHEL LOHRMAN, MPC, LPC-S
Trauma Therapy Tucson
Welcome! If you’re searching for a Tucson trauma therapist, especially if you have or suspect you have a dissociative disorder, or you are seeking Christian trauma therapy, you’re in the right place and I’m so glad you found me. My name is Rachel Lohrman. I am a licensed professional counselor and the founder of Joshua Tree Counseling in Tucson, Arizona. I am a Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) therapist. My desire is to help clients move from hopeless to healing.
What’s Going On?
- Do you have an extensive trauma history? Or know you have complex trauma?
- Are you suffering from the lasting effects of childhood abuse or neglect?
- Do you suspect of have you been diagnosed with a dissociative disorder or Dissociative Identity Disorder?
- Do you experience depersonalization/derealization?
- Is suicidality part of your story? Are you hoping to find a therapist who isn’t scared of this?
- Do feel like you’re a burden to people or like you’re “too much”?
- Do you believe that you’re the problem because people have told you this one way or another?
- Have you been called Borderline or been diagnosed with BPD?
- Maybe you’re intrigued by Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR) and want to give it a try? I am a DBR therapist in Tucson.
- Do you have a sense in inner chaos and can’t shut your mind off?
- Are you specifically looking for a Christian trauma therapist? Or do you feel like God abandoned you in your worst moments and you’re spiritually wounded, questioning, or angry at God? Are you curious about how spiritual warfare works?
Are you wondering whether healing from trauma is possible? Have you tried therapy before but it didn’t work? Do you feel like you’re a hopeless case? Are you carrying so much internal pain that you can’t figure out where to start? If so, we’ll likely be a good match. Keep reading to see if you’d like to embark on your healing journey together.
Hi! I'm Rachel.
Trauma Therapist in Tucson
Let me introduce myself. I’m Rachel Lohrman and I’m a neuroscience-informed, licensed professional counselor in Tucson. As a trauma therapist, I specialize in the use of Deep Brain Reorienting and Trauma Model Therapy. I believe in the power of a strong relationship between therapist and client and that healing happens in the context of that relationship. I show up in counseling as my authentic self and work hard to get to know you on the same level and attune in a deeply personal way. I hope to provide you an experience of feeling known and seen. Sometimes we’ll laugh together and talk about nothing, sometimes we’ll do some really tough trauma work.
I am the founder and owner of Joshua Tree Counseling, a unique group counseling collective in Tucson. I have a cozy office and a therapy dog, Henry, who joins me in sessions for grounding, comfort, and regulation.
As a Christian and follower of Jesus, I am comfortable with the integration of the Christian faith and worldview into counseling, including spiritual warfare and the application of Biblical principles, if – and only if, -you request this from me. I provide the same quality trauma therapy whether we align in our faith and worldview or differ completely. I welcome clients from all faith backgrounds and from all walks of life and think you’ll find me to be a humble and compassionate, and accepting of all that makes you, well you.
Credentials
AZ LPC-20943
AZ Approved Clinical Supervisor
Certified Personality Disorder Treatment Provider (C-PD)
Trauma Model Therapy Certified (TMT-C)
Education
Master of Science
in Professional Counseling
Grand Canyon University
2019
Bachelor of Arts
in Psychology
University of Arizona
2003
Consultation
Cindy Shrigley – DBR (current)
Sarah Jenkins – DBR (past)
Dr. Sandra Paulsen – NEST (past)
Wendy Lemke – Ego State Therapy (past)
Dr. Julie Christie-Sands – DBR (past)
Expertise
Deep Brain Reorienting, Corrigan, Level I-III
Clinical Hypnosis, Lemke-ASCH, Level I-II
Somatic Experiencing, Beginning I
Ego State Therapy, Lemke, Level I-II
Internal Family Systems, Circle Program
ISST-D Professional Training Program, Level I-II
Neuroaffective Embodied Self-System Therapy, (Sandra Paulsen)
Trauma Model Therapy, (Colin Ross) Certified
EMDR, Trained
On a More Personal Note
My hobbies include long walks with my dog Henry; reading and writing; creating cozy spaces; and learning about the amazing brain which God designed with intricate and complex wisdom and beauty. I love old bookshops with creaky floors; and chalky, ominous monsoon skies. I love being out in nature before the world is awake and watching the first light come into the sky. The desert is my home and where I was born and raised.
I’ve been married since 2004 and we raised children adopted from foster care. My husband and I are now empty nesters. We have horses and a little bit of land. I’m an Enneagram 5w4 and an INFJ. I collect old copies of my favorite novel, Jane Eyre. I look forward to meeting you and getting to know you better!
If I ever just up and disappear (Where’d you go Bernadette-style), you’ll likely find me in Ireland – on a train through the countryside, on the cliffs of Kerry, in a cafe on the streets of Dublin, or drinking tea on the grassy knoll at Trinity college.
Henry, my therapy dog
Henry joins me in sessions as a therapy dog. Sometimes he likes to curl up with clients on the couch and sometimes he’s on his dog bed. He’s intuitive, gentle, and extraordinarily regulating.
Services
Treatment Models
- Trauma Model Therapy (TMT)
- Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR)
- Somatic Psychology
- Attachment Theory
Focus Areas
- Trauma, Complex, Developmental Trauma
- Preverbal Trauma/Attachment Wounding
- PTSD/C-PTSD
- Dissociation, Dissociative Identity Disorder, OSDD, DP/DR
- Sexual Abuse/Molestation
- Organized/Ritualistic Abuse, Cult Recovery
- Relational Trauma
- Suicidality, Self-harm
- Borderline Personality Disorder
- Spiritual Warfare
Trauma Therapy
Focus Areas
Trauma & Complex Trauma
Psychological trauma is the result of an event or experience that overwhelms a person’s innate system of self-defense when escape is not an option, and then adequate support and safety is not provided in the aftermath. Trauma can result from a single incident or a complex layering of relational wounds and experiences
Experiencing a traumatic event, such as a car crash, doesn’t mean you will go on to develop PTSD. If you receive immediate care and safety followed by relational support, time to heal, and have people to talk to, in time, traumatic symptoms often subside and a person can return to their baseline and carry on with life.
Compare this to a person who experiences a car accident and is then blamed by their partner for causing the crash; if the person is also isolated from social support and goes back home to a partner who tells them to get over it, that experience may get stuck in a raw, unprocessed form and lead to going flashbacks, intrusive images, and avoidance strategies.
When trauma piles up and one is layered on top of another, complex trauma results.
Dissociation
Dissociation exists on a continuum ranging from everyday human experiences like daydreaming, zoning out, and forgetting tasks to more pathological forms of dissociative experiences such as not feeling real or things around you not feeling real; amnesia for the past or in daily tasks; and/or separate and shifting identity states. As you move up on the continuum from everyday experiences you find things like anxiety disorders, PTSD, derealization/depersonalization, Borderline Personality Disorder, and finally, in the most extreme form, DID with separate and distinct self-states that originally developed in childhood to help survive and protect.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
DID is a disorder which develops in childhood and often goes unrecognized and sometimes misdiagnosed in adulthood. It is a natural response to traumatic and terrifying circumstances beyond a child’s ability to cope or understand. While the literature considers this a rare disorder, it is my professional opinion that it is much more prevalent than the mental health community is ready to admit. It does not appear as clearly as the movies would have us believe – it is often a subtle shifting that by design is undetectable. You have to look to see if this a person’s experience and not all therapists, psychologists, or psychiatrists understand dissociation and not many screen for it.
When overwhelmed beyond capacity, the brain has the capacity to split into parts, each of whom may identify as having an individualized sense of self and separateness. The goal of a dissociative system is to keep the front part of self appearing normal while the parts operate in the background to keep the bad stuff out of the front part’s conscious awareness.
I love identifying and working with DID because there is a clear therapeutic path forward towards healing.
Cult Recovery & Organized Abuse
If you were raised in a known or suspected religious cult, you may feel confused about faith, God, and the things ‘religion’ taught you. You may be wondering how to make your faith your own in spite of how you were raised. Or, you may find yourself wanting nothing to do with religion and you’re skeptical about going to a Christian therapist because what if I’m just like them…
Cults can feel overwhelmingly safe and comfortable at first and then, slowly, the heat from certain elements is slowly turned up so you don’t even know you’re slowly boiling to death. If you were raised in a cult and finally broke free, you may still feel like you suffer from the effects of religious control. If you are a survivor of satanic ritual abuse, the layers of your trauma may be much more complex, confusing, and terrifying.
Cults and organized abuse is damaging to the mind, body, and soul. It infects a person’s sense of self and their attachment relationships. Wherever you find yourself in your cult recovery, I’ll meet you on the path and we’ll walk it together – whether you want faith incorporated into counseling or not, this is your choice.
PTSD & Complex PTSD
Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is the result of a person experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event and typically comes in a package of flashbacks, nightmares, intrusive thoughts/images, and avoidance of triggers that cause memories and symptoms to return. Most people think of rape and war as valid sources of PTSD so many people minimize their experiences because it “wasn’t as bad” as that.
Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) is distinguishable from PTSD and results from a longer duration and greater intensity of traumatic stress. It is marked by elevated disturbances in a personal self-organization, interpersonal problems, and emotional dysregulation, which is actually similar to the diagnostic criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD).
A history of childhood abuse/neglect often fits the criteria of C-PTSD, even if you were never hit or molested. Layers of traumatic experiences such as witnessing domestic violence, never being sure if there will be food in the house, and a lack of love and physical affection can create the perfect storm that manifests as C-PTSD.
Sexual Abuse
Childhood sexual abuse is layered with shame and secrecy; pain, loneliness and isolation; and betrayal and attachment wounding. It is a violating experience for the mind, body, and soul. Intertwined with sexual abuse is often messages about your self-worth and human value. Children have no choice but to believe the lies they are told by their perpetrators, lies like you deserve it, you want it, it will happen to your sibling worse if you don’t comply, you are so special that you get to be treated this way, your body is my property. Children are sometimes told that they brought this on themselves and that others are in danger if they don’t do exactly as they’re told.
I believe healing from sexual abuse is possible in the context of a safe and secure attachment relationship – sometimes this happens when you have the loving support and secure attachment of an adult partner or spouse, and sometimes it comes from the attachment and attunement of a therapist.
I would like to help you disentangle from these early messages and rediscover your intrinsic value.
Suicidality & Self-harm
I founded Joshua Tree Counseling with a specific vision in mind – that no one should ever have to think that suicide is the only way to stop the pain. I lost my brother-in-law to suicide in 2019. He never found the help he needed to have hope for healing. Suicidality is typically the result of intense psychological pain from which you see no escape. I use a relational listening approach to take in your story of pain. I won’t try to talk you out of it or shame your for it or prioritize a safety plan over true and meaningful connection. Let’s sit in the pain together – I can handle it. I will focus on helping you feel safe and validated and attached.
Self harm is the expression of psychological pain or the only way to feel anything at all. It can actually be a suicide prevention strategy. I understand self-harm on an emotional level and from a parts perspective; sometimes one part of self is inflicting harm on the body for punishment or relief.
I want to help you peel back the layers of pain and heal and sometimes the self-harm urges and behaviors no longer feel necessary.
Alcohol Abuse
Alcohol numbs, enables you to avoid, and successfully – albeit temporarily – solves your problem. Alcohol is not the problem, it’s the solution to the problem. This is something I learned from Colin Ross and Trauma Model Therapy and I apply this philosophy to substance abuse and other things too, like overeating, self-harm, and dissociation.
If you’re struggling with excessive alcohol use, or if your loved one has told you have a problem – let’s work together to figure our what problem you’re solving with alcohol.
Christian Counseling
Are you a Christian and want your faith integrated into counseling? I have been a believer my entire life. Having been raised in a Christian home, I cam to know Jesus as a child and my relationship with him has deepened and grown over the years. While the Christian faith is central to who I am as a person, I am sensitive to the fact that you and I may have difference about certain aspects of Christianity or faith in general. It is not my place as a licensed therapist to impose my beliefs upon you. Yet I’ve found that many Christians prefer to receiving psychotherapy from someone they know to be a strong believer. Regardless of your faith background or current belief system, I provide nonjudgmental counseling with respect and integrity.
If you do want your Christian beliefs part of counseling, we discuss this in the first or second session to clarify what this might look like. I may point to a passage of the Bible as it applies to your situation or refer to Scripture to illustrate a point or challenge a negative core belief. I lean into the essence and context of the Bible as a cohesive story of God’s redemption and grace. Context matters; context matters when you share something about your life with me and context matters when sharing from God’s Word. I believe healing occurs most fully when individuals explore their story and pain in multiple contexts – mind, body, and spirit.
I don’t mind wrestling with the tough concepts like, why do bad things happen to good people, or where was God when I was being abused, or why would a good God allow people to go to hell?
I will work to clarify how much and to what extent it’s comfortable for you to receive faith-based counseling. If you would like me to pray with you or for you, I’m happy to ensure that happens.
And if you just like knowing we share a similar foundation of beliefs and prefer that I don’t bring too much faith-related material into counseling, that’s okay too. We’ll talk about this at the beginning of therapy so we are both on the same page.
Schedule, Location & Fees
The cost of counseling is a very important part of the decision about which therapist is right for you. It’s important to know that counseling fees vary by therapist, region, time, and specialty. It is true therapy costs money but it also takes time and requires a high level of commitment from both you and me. Therapy as an investment in your future. It can literally change the course of your your future and your relationships, and bring you to a place of healing. It could even save your life.
Schedule
Monday 9-5:30
Tuesday 9-5:30
Wednesday 9-5:30
Thursday 9-5:30
Location
Joshua Tree Counseling
7522 N La Cholla Blvd
Tucson, AZ 85741
(520) 308-4999 call/text
(520) 844-8136 fax
Email
Fees
Standard Rate: $140/hr
I provide counseling on a private pay basis and do not accept insurance. A credit or debit card (including HSA cards) must be on file prior to your first appointment and is automatically charged at the time of each session. While I do not accept insurance, I can provide a superbill which you can submit to your insurance as part of your out-of-network benefits and possibly get your fees reimbursed or have them contribute to your deductible.
Superbills for Out-of-Network Insurance Benefits
It is important to know that I do not accept insurance. I do offer superbills that you can submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. A superbill is an itemized statement of services that includes all the information an insurance company would need to set me up as an out-of-network provider as well as the type of service you were provided (psychotherapy), fees paid, and your diagnosis. Essentially you pay for therapy at the time of service, submit an itemized statement of fees paid, and if you are eligible, your insurance company reimburses you after deductibles are met.
Good Faith Estimates
You have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate” explaining how much your therapeutic services will cost. Under the recently enacted No Surprises Act, health care providers need to give patients who don’t have insurance or who are not using insurance an estimate of the bill for medical items and services. You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency items or services. You are entitled to a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least 1 business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider, and any other provider you choose, for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule an item or service. If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill. Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate. For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-985-3059.
Contact.
Get in Touch
I am a Tucson trauma therapist. If you are 30+ and would like to begin trauma therapy, reach out or book online.
