Therapy for Trauma
Healing from trauma doesn’t mean pretending it didn’t happen. It just means not letting it run your life anymore.
Trauma can come from a single overwhelming moment, or from years of subtle neglect, invalidation, or emotional chaos. Whether it's a sudden rupture or a long buildup of unmet needs, trauma reshapes how you think, feel, and relate to the world, including how you see yourself.
Maybe you’ve tried pushing through. Maybe you’ve minimized what happened, especially if no one ever validated how bad it really was. But if you’re here, reading this, some part of you knows: you’re ready for something to change. And that matters, because you matter, your happiness matters.
Understanding Trauma
Trauma isn’t what necessarily happened, it’s how you were affected. You might not even use the word “trauma” to describe your experience. Many of the people I work with don’t at first. But the body and the nervous system respond in the same way, whether you use the label or not.
You may be living with trauma if you’ve noticed:
Hypervigilance or a constant feeling of being “on edge”
You pay attention and notice the smallest changes in someone’s tone or expression
You can tell what mood someone is in by the way they walk down the hallway
Your eyes dart everywhere while driving, scanning for unsafe drivers
Shutting down emotionally or avoiding situations that feel overwhelming
When your partner gets upset, you stop responding (it’s like your body just shuts down)
Making a doctor’s appointment feels unbearable because you hate how uneasy it makes you feel
Instead of engaging in life, you scroll for hours just to numb out
Intrusive thoughts, flashbacks, or nightmares
“What if they’re there?” thoughts loop in your head, even though that person lives far away
Nightmares replay themes of feeling trapped, powerless, or scared
A raised voice from a coworker sends you into tears before you can make sense of why
Emotional reactivity (aka feeling easily overwhelmed or triggered)
Crowded stores or loud environments make you want to run for the door
You feel guilty for snapping at loved ones but can’t seem to stop reacting
It’s like you wake up already at a 70/100 on the stress scale, and the smallest thing tips you over
People-pleasing, perfectionism, or chronic self-doubt
You overextend yourself to avoid criticism or rejection
You question your own judgment and feel uneasy trusting yourself
Saying “no” feels impossible, even when you’re already exhausted
Feeling disconnected from yourself, others, or your body
You sometimes lose chunks of time or feel detached from reality
Your reflection feels unfamiliar, like you’re watching yourself from the outside
Health issues that don’t have a clear cause (especially in chronic illness)
Autoimmune flare-ups, migraines, or fatigue that seem tied to stress
Unexplained pain, digestive issues, or sexual pain that doctors can’t explain
For those of us that are neurodivergent, the world itself can be inherently traumatizing. Sensory overwhelm, misunderstanding, and chronic invalidation can all contribute to trauma that’s often missed or mislabeled. In therapy together, we’ll approach those experiences through self-compassion, helping you heal from those times where you were punished or abandoned for just being yourself.
Some people come to me after one traumatic event (a car accident, breakup, medical emergency, or assault) left a lasting mark. Others show up after years of complex trauma (C-PTSD): growing up in emotionally unsafe homes, navigating systems that failed them, or being the one who held everything together while quietly falling apart inside.
However your trauma shows up for you, trauma therapy involves reclaiming your story and reconnecting with the parts of you that have been stuck in survival mode for too long.
How I Help
Healing from trauma doesn’t require rehashing every painful detail (in fact, that can be re-traumatizing). Instead, we work with your nervous system, your emotions, the way that your mind stored lessons from these experiences, and we get to know the protective parts of you that learned to keep you safe.
I draw from a combination of trauma-informed approaches:
Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) — A structured, image-based therapy that helps you reprocess trauma without having to retell every detail. Especially helpful for single-incident trauma, flashbacks, or distress that feels “stuck.”
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) — A research-backed therapy using eye movements or tapping to help the brain release painful memories and integrate new, calmer associations.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) — A gentle, insight-oriented approach that helps you understand the parts of you that protect your pain and learn to care for them instead of fighting against them.
Sandtray Therapy — A visual, nonverbal way to process trauma when words feel too clinical or overwhelming (which is especially effective for neurodivergent or highly imaginative minds)
Somatic and grounding work — Tools and awareness practices to help regulate your nervous system and bring safety back into your body.
When working together, we’ll move at your pace, building some stability first, then heal what’s ready to be healed.
What Healing Can Look Like
Trauma therapy doesn’t seek to erase the past (it can’t), but instead it changes how that trauma still lives inside you. We help bring your mind and body up to speed, letting it understand how you are safe now.
With time, you may begin to:
Feel safer in your body and relationships
Respond to triggers with more self-trust and calm
Let go of guilt, shame, or the need to constantly prove your worth
Stop reliving the past and start living in the present
Reconnect with parts of you that feel brave, playful, or grounded
What It’s Like to Work Together
I won’t push you to go faster than you’re ready for, but I also won’t keep you stuck in surface-level work when you’re ready to go deeper. My goal is to help you feel safe, understood, and empowered, where you are not just coping, but genuinely healing.
Whether you’re dealing with C-PTSD, single-incident trauma, or pain that doesn’t fit neatly into any category, our work together will be focused on helping you carry it differently, allowing you to feel more empowered and relieved.
You Don’t Have to Keep Carrying It Alone
The things you’ve been through matter, and you deserve space to actually heal. When you begin prioritizing yourself and surrounding yourself with people ready and able to fully support you, you end up showing yourself that YOU matter.