Philosophy
For over 12 years, I have practiced as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Initially, my focus was primarily on addiction and recovery. Over time, my focus and passion have shifted to deeper trauma work with clients, where it’s less about the pathology of the behavior and more about the deeper causes of pain. I view addiction, anxiety, and depression as more of the symptoms and not the problem. I have seen clients change through deeper healing and less focus on the symptoms. It’s been my experience that any time we experience difficult moments in our daily lives, it is a result of unprocessed pain/trauma. This pain can be from early childhood experiences and/or recent events. Resulting in robbing us of the present moment.
I have also seen talk therapy, while important, usually doesn’t cause the bigger shifts for change. Talk therapy has its place after the integration of the deeper work. My philosophy is about helping each person access the subconscious so that they can feel a shift in life. I also believe therapy and counseling are not as effective unless you have practical tools to utilize on your own. Because it’s in daily life where it matters the most.
Please refer to the specialties page for a more in-depth description of the therapeutic work I offer for clients. Feel free to reach out for further information, or use the contact form at the bottom of this page to inquire whether our services are right for you.
Contact
➤ LOCATION
Nashville | Chattanooga
or Telehealth
☎ CONTACT
james@jamestrone.com
(615) 601-1334
Areas of Practice
Trauma Focused Work
The focus on trauma work has become more prevalent over the last 15 years in the field of psychology. Part of the work is knowing your own story, identifying patterns and ways you have uniquely been wounded that alter the actual reality of the present moment. It is when we haven’t processed our pain that we often then reenact the unprocessed traumas in our current lives. Many modalities are effective, but everyone responds differently. For more details, go to the services page.
schema Therapy (Models of self)
It is our negative thinking patterns that cause us pain and suffering. But oftentimes it's not only our thinking but the emotions and felt sense that keep us in negative behavioral patterns. Schema therapy is a proven, researched modality that helps identify one’s negative patterns so one can then make changes in his or her life.
Meditation work
I believe there is a misunderstanding in Western culture about meditation. Meditation is not ‘new age’, it is old age. Meditation is simply a practice of being present with oneself. There are many ways to meditate, such as walking, painting, poetry, and of course, the formal practice of sitting meditation, of breath and body-focused work. Mediation is the foundation of my therapeutic practice, which helps clients come back to the present moment. For more details, go to the services page.
spiritual direction
Spiritual Direction is not about directing and changing one’s faith or religious preferences. I do not believe my role as a therapist is to direct one’s religious or non-religious beliefs. Rather, it is to allow yourself room to sit with the spiritual questions that arise within you. I have found the therapeutic space is very helpful to sit in the place of deep silence, listening for that “ever still small voice within.”
somatic (Body) work
Somatic work goes hand in hand with meditation. The focus is on coming back to the body rather than living in one’s thinking. The problem for most of Western culture is that we are too head-centric. So it’s a practice of connecting back to the head, the heart, and the body. Somatic practice is knowing where you are feeling emotions and sensations in the body and connecting back to oneself, versus a pseudo-dissociative state, which occurs when we are caught up in thinking over being.
Adult Children of alcoholics & dysfunction Families
This terminology is often confusing for many when I mention Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACA) because many who identify with ACA did not grow up in alcoholic homes. Rather, it was experiences of dysfunction. ACA work is very helpful in healing the inner child and childhood traumas, and it’s some of the most rewarding work.
“All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.””
Get in Touch
Use the form below to contact me regarding how I can help with counseling and therapy. Please let me know brief description of what you're seeking in therapy. You may also email or call me to make an appointment.