DBR Trauma Therapist | Rachel Lohrman, LPC-S

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.

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.

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?
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”?
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?

What difference would it make in your life and relationships if the past no longer haunted you, if you felt more in control, and if you finally felt confident going after what you want out of life? As a trauma therapist in Tucson, I help clients move from the pain of the past towards hope and healing for the future. My goal is to come alongside you on your healing journey so you don’t have to walk it alone. If you’re looking for a comfortable counseling experience with a skilled therapist who does therapy just a little different than all the others, you’re in the right place!

Hi! I'm Rachel.

Trauma Therapist in Tucson

Let me introduce myself. I’m Rachel Lohrman and I’m a neuroscience-informed licensed psychotherapist in Tucson. I specialize in the use of Deep Brain Reorienting and Trauma Model Therapy to treat of trauma and dissociation through. 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.

As a Christian and disciple of Jesus, I am comfortable with the integration of the Christian faith and worldview into counseling, including the application of Biblical principles, if, and only if, you request this from me. I provide the same quality of trauma therapy whether we align in your 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. I am the founder and owner of Joshua Tree Counseling, a unique group counseling collective in Tucson.

Credentials

AZ Licensed Professional Counselor LPC-20943
AZ Approved Clinical Supervisor 52806

CO Licensed Professional Counselor LPC.00019850
CO Qualified 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

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

In Process/Upcoming:
Neuropsychotherapy Certificate, 20225
ISST-D Professional Training Program, Level III, 2024-25

Consultation

Cindy Shrigley – DBR
Sarah Jenkins – DBR
Dr. Sandra Paulsen – NEST
Wendy Lemke – Ego State Therapy
Dr. Julie Christie-Sands – DBR (past)

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. If I ever just up and disappear (Where’d you go Bernadette-style), you’ll likely find me on a train in Ireland, on cliffs of Kerry, in a cafe on the stress of Dublin, or in the library at Trinity college. I have horses and a little bit of land. I’ve been married since 2004 and we raised children adopted from foster care. My husband and I are now empty nesters. 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!

Henry, the 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)
Ego State Therapy (EST)
Neuroaffective Embodied Self-System Therapy (NEST)
Somatic Psychology
Attachment Theory
Enneagram Informed
Christian-Based (if desired)

Specialties

Trauma
Complex/Developmental Trauma
Preverbal Trauma/Attachment Wounding
PTSD/C-PTSD
Dissociation
Dissociative Identity Disorder/OSDD
Sexual Abuse/Molestation
Organized/Ritualistic Abuse/SRA
Attachment Wounding
Relational Trauma
Suicidality
Self-harm
Borderline Personality Disorder
Cult Recovery
Spiritual Abuse

Trauma Therapy

Trauma therapy is more like an archeological excavation than digging for treasure. Soft brushes, time and layers are needed, not a shovel, haste and brute force. While I can’t promise it will be easy to embark on a trauma-healing journey, as a skilled trauma therapist, I can promise to walk the road with you so we can forge the path forward together. Trauma can cause loneliness, a damaged sense of self-worth, and mistrust. All of these things usually walk in the door with my new clients and I’m sensitive to the fact that your attachment system has likely been wounded. The first goal of trauma therapy is simply to begin to develop safety, attachment, and trust.

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.

I screen all clients for dissociation because some aspects of this can block trauma therapy, which is sometimes why clients find that they don’t make the progress they had hoped with certain therapists or with EMDR.

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 and integration (if this is chosen by the system).

To treat DID, I am trained in and rely most heavily upon the models developed by Sandra Paulsen (Neuroaffective Embodied Self-System Therapy), Colin Ross (Trauma Model Therapy), Frank Corrigan (Deep Brain Reorienting), and John and Helen Watkins (Ego State Therapy) as well as the standards set forth by the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation.

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.

What to Expect.

Whether you’ve been to to therapy before or this is a new experience, it can sometimes feel intimidating to show up for your first session. If you’re the type of person who wants to have a roadmap for what therapy will look like with me as your trauma therapist, read on.

First Appointment

The initial therapy appointment is also called an intake session. It is my first opportunity to meet you and hear whatever part of your story and struggle you are ready to share. I strive to make this appointment comfortable by attuning to your need to share a little or to share a lot and then I move at your comfort level. Generally, I’m trying to get a sense of what brought you to therapy, what you hope to achieve through therapy, as well as an overall snapshot of your growing up family, your current family structure, your interests, and current coping strategies, among other things.

Sharing Your Trauma Story

If you have a trauma history, I don’t need the details just yet, just a general idea of what happened to you and around what age. Before I ever ask for trauma details, I work with you towards resourcing and stabilization so you feel strong enough and ready to share your story, if it’s a story you can even tell at all. I also have strategies to help you heal from trauma that do not involve recounting the details or constructing a trauma narrative. The secret to trauma work is you have to go slow to go fast.

Sharing Your Trauma Story

Confidentiality

I am bound by law and a code of ethics to provide you a confidential experience in therapy. There are several exceptions of which you should be aware. If you share any plans to harm yourself or others (imminent threats of suicide or homicide), I must report to the appropriate authority to act of your behalf or on someone else’s behalf. If I become aware of any harm to a child (current or past, by you or by others) I may be obligated to report this to the Department of Child Safety or the police. My job is not to investigate or probe for details. As a mandated reporter I am bound to report any reasonable suspicion of harm.

The long and short of it is this – I’m won’t be talking about you or sharing your private details unless you give me reason to do by threatening or disclosing harm to yourself or others. You should know that as an adults, if you were abused in childhood, it is your choice to pursue legal action against your perpetrator. I am only obligated to report any suspicion of abuse to a minor or if the perpetrator has know access to children.

Length of Sessions and Treatment

Sessions range from 45-55 minutes, depending on the work we’re doing and your level of participation. The remainder of the hour is reserved for documenting our session. When using EMDR, it may be necessary to book 1.5-2 hour sessions to allow for full processing and session closure. The decision to extend is made in advance and this is your choice, not my expectation. The fee for sessions is by the hour, not session.

Length of treatment depends on the extent of your trauma, your identified treatment goals, how frequently you attend therapy (once a week, once a month, etc), and what you can financially afford. We will work together to find a comfortable rhythm and frequency of sessions. It is not uncommon to start out weekly and move to bi-weekly, then monthly, then bi-monthly and so on. Session frequency is something you can count on me to talk about at the onset of therapy and as therapy progresses.

To give you an idea of the continuum of care — to work through one traumatic event that occurred in adulthood when you had a relatively safe and healthy upbringing, therapy could be accomplished in 3-5 sessions you are well resourced and supported outside of therapy. Dissociative Identity Disorder on the other hand could take many years to fully reach a place of healing and desired integration. If you were wounded as a child by abuse and/or neglect, think about how many years those wounds have been festering – they cannot be treated in a few hours with a few newly learned coping skills. It takes time and attachment system repair. Therapy is an investment in your overall well-being, your health, you future…and your children’s future.

Assessment Phase and Treatment Plan

It generally takes between one and three sessions to do a full biopsychosocial assessment (looking at all areas of your life, history, and presenting issues). The first session I listen to your story and we explore the reason(s) you sought out counseling. During the second session I will usually have a few assessments I ask you to complete (anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, dissociation). In the second or third session I work with you to complete a timeline of positive and negative life events which tends to guide some of our future work. By the third session I usually have a good sense of what’s going on, what your goals for treatment are, and how I can help which I write into a treatment plan. We will review the treatment plan as often as is appropriate, requested, and at least once a year. I will ask you to sign your treatment plan when it’s first developed and at each revision to ensure that we’re on the same page about goals.

Therapy Models and Interventions

You may or may not be familiar with the models of therapy I integrate into treatment, that’s okay – you do not need to know what type of therapy you need; it’s my job to tailor the therapy experience to meet your needs, personality, and your desired goals/outcomes. You can expect the interventions I use to be helpful moving your towards your goals listed on your treatment plan.

Sometimes clients come to therapy for a specific type of therapy because it has been recommended to them to treat their specific diagnoses or issues, like EMDR, CBT, or DBT. I am clear with clients from the onset that I do not provide therapy in a vacuum and while I may borrow ideas and interventions from those particular therapy models, I don’t put every client through the same course of treatment. If this is what you really desire, I can help you understand why that may not be the most beneficial to you or connect you with the theory-specific therapist.

Cancellation Policy

Life happens and so do cancellations. The policy at Joshua Tree Counseling is that cancellations must be made at least 24 hours prior to your therapy appointment to avoid the cancellation fee which is your full session fee. When you no-show or cancel last minute it means lost income and lost time I could have given to others. I ask that you be conscious of my time and cancel as soon as you know you cannot make your appointment. The portal makes it easy to cancel unless it is less 24 hours before your appointment. To cancel after the 24 hour clock starts you will need to contact me.

In Closing

In closing what I want you to know is that therapy is both hard and rewarding. My promise to you is to climb in the muck and help you sort it out until you no longer need me. If you are ready to schedule an intake, use the contact form below.

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. I am accepting waitlist clients. If you are 30+ and would like to begin trauma therapy, reach out and I’ll add you to my waitlist. I anticipate being able to add several new clients early in 2025.