Trauma Therapy

What Happened to You Doesn't Have to Define You

Trauma has a way of staying with us long after the event itself has passed. It lives in the body, shapes how we see ourselves, and quietly influences our relationships, our decisions, and our sense of safety in the world. If you've been carrying something heavy — whether it happened recently or decades ago — therapy can help you finally put some of it down.

What Trauma Can Look Like

Trauma doesn't always look the way we expect it to. You don't have to have survived a single catastrophic event to be affected by it. Trauma can be the result of childhood experiences, difficult relationships, repeated stressors over time, or events that others minimized but that deeply affected you.

You might recognize it as:

• Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares that pull you back into experiences you'd rather leave behind.

• Hypervigilance — always scanning for danger, difficulty relaxing, feeling like something bad is about to happen.

• Emotional numbness — feeling disconnected from yourself, others, or life in general.

• Shame or self-blame — a deep sense that what happened was somehow your fault, or that it changed who you are.

• Difficulty trusting others — walls that protect you but also keep connection at a distance.

• Patterns that don't make sense — self-sabotage, conflict in relationships, or reactions that feel disproportionate to the moment.

• Physical symptoms — sleep disruption, chronic tension, digestive issues, or fatigue without a clear medical cause.

You may have spent years appearing fine on the outside while quietly struggling on the inside. That gap — between how you present to the world and how you actually feel — is exhausting to maintain.

What Causes Trauma?

Trauma is less about the event itself and more about how it was experienced and processed — or wasn't. Experiences that overwhelm our capacity to cope can leave lasting imprints, especially when we faced them alone, without support, or at a young age.

Common sources of trauma include:

• Childhood experiences — emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, neglect, or growing up in an unstable or unpredictable environment.

• Relationship trauma — betrayal, manipulation, or chronic emotional harm in intimate relationships.

• Loss and grief — sudden or traumatic loss of a loved one.

• Identity-based trauma — rejection, discrimination, or harm related to race, sexuality, gender identity, or other aspects of who you are.

• Medical trauma — frightening or dehumanizing healthcare experiences.

• Cumulative stress — repeated smaller experiences that individually seemed manageable but collectively took a significant toll.

It's worth saying clearly: you don't have to label your experience as trauma to deserve support. If something has left a mark on how you move through the world, that's enough.

Types of Trauma I Work With

• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) — intrusive symptoms, avoidance, hyperarousal, and negative changes in mood or thinking following traumatic events.

• Complex PTSD (C-PTSD) — trauma resulting from prolonged or repeated experiences, often beginning in childhood, that affects identity, relationships, and emotional regulation.

• Childhood and Developmental Trauma — early experiences that shaped your sense of self, safety, and what to expect from others.

• Relational and Attachment Trauma — wounds that developed within close relationships and continue to affect how you connect with others.

• Grief and Loss — traumatic or complicated bereavement that has become stuck.

How Trauma Therapy Works

Healing from trauma isn't about rehashing every painful detail — it's about gradually making sense of your experiences in a way that feels safe, and integrating them so they no longer run the show.

We work at your pace. Safety and trust come first, and nothing happens before you're ready.

Approaches I draw on include:

Psychodynamic Therapy — exploring how past experiences and relationships have shaped your beliefs about yourself and the world. Trauma often embeds itself in unconscious patterns that play out in the present; psychodynamic work brings those patterns into awareness so they can begin to shift.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — identifying and challenging the distorted beliefs trauma leaves behind — about your worth, your safety, your responsibility for what happened — and replacing them with more accurate and compassionate perspectives.

Somatic Awareness — trauma is stored in the body, not just the mind. We pay attention to physical sensations, patterns of tension, and the nervous system's role in keeping you stuck in survival mode, and work toward greater felt safety from the inside out.

Coping and Grounding Skills — before diving into difficult material, we build a toolkit of practical techniques for managing overwhelming emotions, staying present during triggers, and regulating your nervous system when it goes into overdrive. You'll have real tools to use between sessions, not just insights.

What to Expect From Trauma Treatment

Trauma therapy is not a linear process — and it's rarely comfortable. But it is possible to get to the other side. With time and consistent work, therapy can help you:

• Make sense of experiences that have felt confusing, shameful, or impossible to talk about.

• Reduce the intensity of intrusive symptoms — flashbacks, nightmares, hypervigilance.

• Break patterns in relationships and behaviors that no longer serve you.

• Develop a more compassionate relationship with yourself and your history.

• Feel present in your own life again — connected, grounded, and more fully yourself.

Ready to Take the First Step?

Reaching out when you're carrying trauma takes real courage. I offer a free 15-minute consultation so we can talk about what you're experiencing and whether working together feels like the right fit. You don't have to have it figured out before you call — that's what we'll work on together.