Complex trauma is not just what happened to you.
It’s also what didn’t happen afterward.
The person who didn't believe you
The adult who should have protected you but didn't or couldn't.
The time you tried to tell someone and they minimized it, or changed the subject, or made it about themselves.
The feelings that had nowhere to go.
The years you carried everything by yourself.
For many people with complex trauma, the aloneness becomes part of the injury. Healing begins when you no longer have to hold it alone.
The relationship we build in therapy matters. Being seen, believed, and understood can become a new experience you and your nervous system learns to trust.
What if trauma didn't have to keep running your life?
That's the idea behind somatic, parts-based (IFS) trauma therapy, though it's not really a body-fixing technique, and it's not a shortcut to feeling calm. It's a way of understanding the different parts of you that shaped around what happened: the one who learned to caretake, the one who learned to disappear, the one who decided long ago that needing anything was dangerous. The body is part of that story, but so is who you trust, what you believe you're allowed to want, and how you see yourself.
Instead of asking, “What’s wrong with you?” we become curious about how your mind, body, relationships, and beliefs adapted to survive difficult experiences. The goal is not simply to manage symptoms, rather helping you actually feel better and live better.
Complex trauma can look like
YOU MINIMIZE YOUR EXPERIENCES
You tell yourself it wasn't that bad. Your body disagrees. You learned early that your experiences and feelings didn't count.
YOU ARE SUCCESSFUL BUT EXHAUSTED
You got through it and built a good life anyway. You just never dealt with it. Now it's catching up with you.
RELATIONSHIPS FEEL HARDER THAN THEY SHOULD
You are afraid of conflict. You struggle to trust. You worry people will leave, reject, or misunderstand you.
YOU TAKE CARE OF EVERYONE ELSE
You learned to manage everyone else's feelings to stay safe. Now you can't tell your feelings apart from theirs.
PERIMENOPAUSE CHANGED EVERYTHING
Old anxiety, grief, or trauma suddenly feels close again. You didn't see this coming, and it's hard.
YOU NUMB THE PAIN
Food, wine, work, scrolling, productivity. You stay busy to avoid slowing down. Anything that helps you avoid what has never felt safe enough to feel.
Why work with me
I've spent years sitting with people through the pain and trauma that doesn't resolve in a few sessions. It's shaped everything I understand about what trauma does to a person, and what actually helps. My training gave me the framework, but it's the years of actually being present with my clients that taught me what real healing takes. It's part of why I do this work the way I do.
I'm a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) and my training runs through IFS-informed work, sensorimotor psychotherapy, Hakomi, depth psychotherapy, somatic trauma treatment, and attachment-focused care.
What changes in trauma therapy?
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The past feels like the past instead of something you’re reliving every day.
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You feel safer in your relationships and less reactive.
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You recover more quickly after conflict.
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You stop apologizing for existing.
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You don’t need to work so hard to avoid your feelings.
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You notice your feelings before they become overwhelming.
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You trust your own judgment and need less reassurance.
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You can rest without feeling guilty.
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Your body carries less tension.
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Different relationship with your own history. Not really forgetting, but no longer being defined by it.
Is trauma therapy right for you?
This work may be a good fit if you:
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Live with anxiety, complex PTSD, childhood trauma, or attachment wounds.
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Feel stuck despite years of insight.
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Want therapy that includes both your thoughts and your body’s responses.
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Are ready for deeper work rather than short-term symptom management.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is complex trauma?
Complex trauma develops after repeated experiences of emotional pain, neglect, criticism, rejection, abuse, or inconsistent caregiving, especially during childhood. Instead of one overwhelming event, it is often the accumulation of many experiences that taught you the world was unpredictable or that your needs were too much.
Complex trauma can affect how you relate to yourself, your emotions, your body, and other people long after the original experiences have ended.
How do I know if I have complex trauma?
Not everyone with complex trauma has flashbacks or remembers one defining event.
Many women come to therapy because they struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, emotional overwhelm, chronic self-criticism, difficulty trusting others, or feeling disconnected from themselves.
If you’ve always felt like you have to hold everything together, avoid conflict, or earn love by taking care of everyone else, those patterns may be worth exploring.
Is trauma therapy just talking about the past?
No. Understanding your past can be important, but insight alone does not always create change.
Trauma therapy also pays attention to what happens in the present—how your body responds to stress, how you experience relationships, the protective patterns you’ve developed, and the beliefs you’ve carried for years.
The goal is not simply to understand your story but to experience yourself differently.
Do I have to tell you everything that happened?
No. You are never expected to tell your whole story.
In fact, many people begin trauma therapy without sharing every detail of their past. We work at a pace that feels manageable and focus on building safety, understanding your protective patterns, and helping you feel more connected to yourself.
What is the difference between PTSD and complex PTSD?
PTSD is often associated with one or more traumatic events and may include symptoms such as flashbacks, nightmares, or heightened fear responses.
Complex PTSD develops after ongoing or repeated trauma, particularly during childhood or within important relationships. In addition to symptoms of PTSD, it often affects identity, self-worth, emotional regulation, trust, and relationships.
Many women with complex trauma describe feeling fundamentally “different” without understanding why.
What is the difference between PTSD and complex PTSD?
There is no single timeline. Healing depends on many factors, including your history, current stressors, support system, and what you hope to achieve.
Some people benefit from weekly therapy over time, while others choose therapy intensives to create space for deeper work in a shorter period. Rather than rushing the process, we focus on meaningful and lasting change.
What are trauma therapy intensives?
Therapy intensives are extended therapy sessions that allow us to spend several uninterrupted hours working together instead of meeting for one hour each week.
Many people find this format helpful because it creates enough time to move beyond simply talking about problems and into the deeper patterns that keep them stuck.
Intensives can be a good fit for trauma, anxiety, attachment wounds, major life transitions, and women who travel, have demanding schedules, or want focused therapeutic work.
Therapy Intensives & Immersive Sessions
Therapy with more time.
Rather than spreading the work across months of weekly sessions, an intensive creates a dedicated block of time to go deeper without the week-long gaps that can slow momentum. It’s not faster therapy, but a different kind of space.
Half Day
3–4 hours. A focused dive into a specific area — a stuck pattern, transition, resurfaced wound.
Good for those already in therapy who want to go deeper on something particular.
Full Day
Not a long appointment, but an actual dedicated day. With a break so you can breathe, eat, come back. Long enough to move through more than one layer, without having to stop right when something starts to open up.
Multi Day
2–3 consecutive or closely spaced days. This one takes the most time and often does the most work. Two or three days, with breathing room built in between for the things you've been carrying the longest.
Therapy intensives can stand alone or complement ongoing therapy.
If you’re unsure which option is right for you, we can talk through it together during a consultation.