Trauma & PTSD
Is this familiar?
- You are avoiding people, places that reminders of a past traumatic event
- You experience Sudden panic attacks or overwhelming fear
- You experience Nightmares or disrupted sleep
- You may be in Hyper-vigilance, always anticipating danger
- You may experience Difficulty trusting others and forming healthy relationships
- You have few memories from childhood, but you often struggle with anxiety and find it hard to feel truly connected in your closest relationships.
“Trauma is not what happens to you; it’s what happens inside you as a result of what happens to you.”
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
These can be symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition develops after being exposed to a single or series of traumatic event.
Trauma and PTSD can manifest in various ways, affecting both the mind and body.
- You’ve learned to rely on yourself and avoid needing much from others, believing it’s safer not to ask for help or depend on anyone
- You may experience Feeling numb, disconnected, or ashamed
- You may engage in unhealthy patterns
- You may experience intense emotions such as fear, anger, sadness, or guilt, which can lead to social withdrawal and isolation
- You thought you had moved past the painful chapters of your story, that you had pushed through and left them behind. Yet, they keep resurfacing.
If you recognize these symptoms in yourself, know that healing is possible with the right support and care.
The effects of past wounds—whether from a parent’s divorce, an unhealthy or potentially abusive relationship, or the persistent feeling of worry and lack of safety—continue to show up. They impact your work, your social life, and especially your most important relationships. The past isn’t truly behind you; it lingers, shaping how you experience the present and complicating your ability to move forward.
The truth is, trauma isn’t always about specific events—it’s about how our brains process experiences, often in ways that protect us. Trauma can show up in our lives as symptoms, not always as clear memories. Sometimes, it’s the subtle, lingering feelings of powerlessness, disconnection, or a sense of being unprotected that stay with us long after the event has passed.
“The wound is the place where the light enters you.”
Rumi
A Plan for Transformation
Healing from past wounds is an essential step toward reclaiming your peace, power, and sense of self. The pain, trauma, and unresolved experiences you’ve carried with you no longer need to define your future. Let’s uncover the root causes, release what no longer serves you, and create a new path forward—one that is filled with strength, resilience, and emotional freedom.
You are in the right place.
You don’t need to explain every detail of what happened, and you don’t even need to fully understand why you’re feeling the way you do. What’s most important is that you’re ready to engage in the process and do the work. just a willingness to explore and heal. Together, we will help you move forward toward greater peace, resilience, and a renewed sense of self.
Types of Traumas I Treat
Emotionally Absent or Neglectful Parents
Trauma can result not just from harmful actions but from the absence of emotional support during childhood. If your parents couldn’t provide the nurturing you needed, therapy can help fill in those gaps and boost your emotional health.
Childhood Abuse and Sexual Assault
Experiencing physical or sexual abuse as a child can leave deep scars. Therapy offers a safe space to process the shame and emotional impact, empowering you to move forward.
Intimate Partner Abuse
Also referred to as intimate partner violence (IPV), spousal abuse, or domestic violence, this is a widespread form of gender-based violence (GBV) by a current or former partner or spouse.
Trauma at School
School-related trauma can stem from power imbalances, bullying, or academic stress. Therapy can help you regain control and cope with overwhelming school experiences.
Trauma in the Workplace
Workplace trauma, such as bullying, stress, or poor work-life balance, can significantly affect mental health. Therapy can guide you in managing these stresses and finding a sustainable way forward.
Attachment/Relational Trauma
Attachment or relational trauma refers to painful experiences with caregivers or trusted people in our lives. Since we rely on these early relationships to form our understanding of ourselves, others, and the world, any disruptions can have a long-lasting impact on us.
Examples of relational trauma include:
- Physical, sexual, or emotional abuse
- A parent who was cold, critical, or unreliable
- A parent who was overly involved, lacked boundaries, or placed undue emotional responsibility on you
- A caregiver with mental health or addiction issues
- Dysfunctional relational patterns passed down through generations
The dynamics in these early relationships can deeply influence our sense of self and our future relationships.
Why Treating Trauma Takes More Than Talk Therapy
Many people aren’t fully aware of how past trauma affects their current mental health. As highlighted in Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s groundbreaking book, The Body Keeps the Score, trauma is not stored as a typical memory but resides in the body. This is why traditional talk therapy alone may not be enough to heal.
By integrating non-tradition therapy approaches like EMDR or IFS, we can explore how the past influences the present, offering relief from feelings of overwhelm and helping you reclaim balance.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), one of the most effective treatments for treating trauma and PTSD
EMDR is a powerful, evidence-based therapy designed to help people heal from trauma by addressing how past experiences impact present thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Often, unresolved memories from childhood, such as feeling “not good enough” or out of control, remain trapped in the brain and body, leading to responses that no longer serve us.
Through bilateral stimulation (like eye movements), EMDR helps reprocess these memories, allowing the brain to recognize that the trauma is over. Endorsed by the World Health Organization, EMDR can offer lasting relief efficiently.
Processing Trauma: Big "T" and Small "t" Events
Trauma can stem from life-altering events like accidents, assault, or natural disasters (“Big T” Traumas) as well as ongoing struggles like breakups, rejection, or bullying (“small t” traumas). Both types of traumas can leave lasting emotional scars, “small t” often invalidated or dismissed. True healing begins when we acknowledge the impact of these experiences, give ourselves permission to process them, and create space for recovery.
Whether you are dealing with past trauma or recent distressing events, I offer a compassionate and evidence-based approach to healing I specialize in treating trauma and PTSD to help you uncover the root causes of your struggles, helping your body and mind create new, healthier connections, being a whole with all parts and work toward bringing calm and peace to your body and life.
Reach Out Today
If you’re ready to take the next step, rediscover hope, and rewrite
your story, reach out for a free consultation.
