Trauma Therapy
Trauma is not a weakness or a flaw in your character. It is what happened to you — and you deserve help healing from it.
Understanding Trauma
Trauma occurs when an experience — or series of experiences — overwhelms our nervous system's capacity to cope. It is not defined by the severity of what happened, but by the impact it has on you. You don't have to have been in a war or survived a disaster to have trauma. Trauma can look like:
- A chaotic or unsafe childhood home
- Emotional, physical, or sexual abuse or neglect
- Growing up with a caregiver who was emotionally unavailable or unpredictable
- A difficult birth or medical experience
- An accident, loss, or sudden life upheaval
- Witnessing violence or suffering
- Chronic stress, discrimination, or systemic harm
Trauma often does not stay in the past. It shows up in the present — in hypervigilance, emotional dysregulation, relational patterns, body symptoms, and a deep sense that something is fundamentally wrong with you. None of that is your fault.
Trauma is held in the body. When words haven't been enough, when you've "processed" the same story a hundred times but still feel stuck — that is often because the body is still carrying what the mind hasn't fully integrated. This is exactly why I use body-informed, somatic approaches alongside EMDR and other evidence-based methods.
What Is Trauma-Informed Care?
Trauma-informed care is not a specific technique — it is a way of working that recognizes how common trauma is and how deeply it can affect every aspect of life. In practice, this means:
- Safety first. No one can heal in a space where they feel unsafe or judged. Building trust takes time, and we take that time.
- Your pace, always. You are in control of what we explore and when. There is no pushing, no forcing — only inviting.
- The nervous system matters. We work with your body's responses, not against them.
- Strengths-based. You have survived things that required enormous resilience. We build on that.
How I Work with Trauma
Trauma therapy with me is a collaborative process that unfolds in stages. We never rush into the deep end. Stabilization and resource-building come first — always.
Stabilization & Safety
Before we do any trauma processing, we build a foundation. This includes developing coping tools, nervous system regulation skills, and a clear sense of your inner resources. This phase cannot be skipped.
Trauma Processing
Using EMDR and other evidence-based approaches, we gently work through the experiences that are contributing to your current distress — at a pace that keeps you regulated and in control.
Integration & Moving Forward
Healing is about integration — allowing what happened to be part of your story without defining your entire life. This phase focuses on identity, relationships, and what a healed future can look like for you.
Common Presentations I Work With
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) from chronic or developmental trauma
- Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
- Relational and attachment trauma
- Medical trauma (illness, surgery, NICU stays)
- Grief and traumatic loss
- Emotional flashbacks and dissociation
- Shame-based patterns rooted in trauma
A word about complex trauma: If your trauma happened in childhood, was relational in nature, or was ongoing rather than a single event — healing typically takes longer and requires a different kind of patience and care. That depth of care is something I take seriously and am trained to provide.
Healing Is Not Linear
There will be sessions that feel like breakthroughs, and sessions that feel like setbacks. Both are part of the process. I will be honest with you about this, and I will be with you through all of it — the breakthroughs and the hard weeks alike.
You don't have to feel ready. You just have to be willing to try — and I'll meet you exactly where you are.
You Don't Have to Keep Carrying This
Healing from trauma is possible. Let's take the first step together.
In crisis? Please call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or go to your nearest emergency room.