ONLINE THERAPY IN WASHINGTON STATE & California

Childhood & Complex Trauma Therapy

The Effects Of Traumatic & Neglectful Experiences

What is Trauma & PTSD?

Any situation leaving you feeling threatened, overwhelmed, and frightened can be traumatic, even if it doesn’t involve physical harm. Unresolved trauma distorts our values, sense of self, and identity impacting how we show up in the world.

Once someone has experienced trauma, they’re often on guard, almost perpetually afraid that it will happen again. And it’s not only the brain that learns this lesson. The body and nervous system do, too.

While many people recover from trauma over time with support and resiliency, others may experience persisting effects of trauma, forcing them to live with deep emotional pain, fear, confusion, or post-traumatic stress long after the event has passed.

What is Complex Trauma & CPTSD?

ICD-11 complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a new disorder that describes the more complex reactions that are typical of individuals exposed to chronic trauma.

The addition of this disorder as distinct from PTSD is expected to provide greater precision in the diagnosis of trauma populations and more personalized and effective treatment.

Read more here.

Complex Trauma vs. Singular Trauma

Complex trauma is ongoing, repeated trauma over the course of months, years, or one’s entire life while trauma is a singular experience (e.g. a car accident).

Examples include growing up in an emotionally abusive household, repeated invalidation, silence and denial, a car accident in adolescence, being bullied throughout school, and sexual assault in adulthood).

Sometimes, this is called big T trauma and little t trauma.

In addition to the symptoms of PTSD, those who experience complex trauma also experience core relationship difficulties with themselves and others including:

  1. Negative core beliefs about the world, others, and themselves;

  2. Trauma identity and fixation; and

  3. Disassociation and detachment from the trauma and its effects.

Trauma Can Include

  • Abuse

  • Neglect

  • Assault

  • Violence

  • Bullying

  • A serious illness

  • Sudden death of a person

  • Abandonment

  • Separation

  • Migration and immigration

  • War

  • Trafficking

  • Religious abuse

  • Narcissistic abuse

  • Violence in a relationship

  • Car accident

  • A natural disaster

  • As well as historical, intergenerational, state, community, familial and interpersonal violence such as:

    • Racism

    • Homophobia

    • Transphobia

    • Xenophobia

    • Misogyny

    • Enslavement

    • Forced migration

    • Colonization

    • War

    • Genocide

    • Imperialism

Are These Common Experiences?

Click on the boxes to learn more.

    • Wanting to bypass the healing process and getting quick fixes to complex, long-standing issues

    • “Splitting” thoughts

      • I love you vs. I hate you

      • You’re going to leave me vs. I need space and to go away

    • Labeling

      • I’m dumb/You’re dumb

      • I’m weak/You’re weak

    • Demanding thoughts

      • I have to

      • I need to

      • I should

      • I shouldn’t

    • Overgeneralizing thoughts

      • This always happens

      • Everything always ends badly

    • Valuing perfection

    • Valuing control

    • Wanting certainty

    • Wanting answers

    • Example: Pushing or leaving people before they leave you

    • Example: Engaging in unhelpful behaviors even though you logically know it will set you back and harm you

    • Avoiding talking about the deeper concerns and issues (and focusing on more surface level topics)

    • Focus on logic rather than emotions

    • Not voicing your concerns, worries, and anxieties to your therapist and instead

    • Example: Ghosting your therapist rather than having an honest, though difficult and uncomfortable discussion about what isn’t working for you in session

    • Focusing on everything trauma related (e.g. consuming media all related to trauma, fixating on the negative constantly, anticipating the worst in situations and people)

    • Finding it difficult to imagine an identity that is more whole and complete rather than 100% deficit and trauma based

    • Finding it difficult to have space for areas like: joy, peace, fun, play, desire, and love.

    • Difficulty separating past, unhelpful, survival based thoughts vs. more helpful, realistic thoughts

    • Shame vs. Guilt

      • Shame: I am bad

      • Guilt: I did something bad

    • Constantly being ruled by your shame thoughts and feelings

    • A hallmark symptom of trauma is reexperiencing the trauma in various ways.

    • Reexperiencing can occur through reenactments (literally, to “redo”), by which trauma survivors repetitively relive and recreate a past trauma in their present lives.

    • Attempts to understand reenactments are very complicated, as reenactments occur for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, individuals reenact past traumas to master them.

    • Examples of reenactments include a variety of behaviors: self-injurious behaviors, hypersexuality, walking alone in unsafe areas or other high-risk behaviors, driving recklessly, or involvement in repetitive destructive relationships (e.g., repeatedly getting into romantic relationships with people who are abusive .

Common Symptoms Of PTSD & Trauma

Codependency

  • You merge with others instantly. Their needs are your needs.

  • You seek constant validation from others and give to others without thinking of your needs.

  • You are often anxious, frazzled, and worried.

Disconnected From Your Body

  • You have trouble knowing what you’re feeling.

  • However, you think quite a bit. In fact, you are intelligent and adaptive. You value logic, pragmatism, order, and control.

Over Functioner

  • To avoid your emotions, you throw yourself into school and work. You excel and become very successful.

  • This comes at a cost. You work 50-70 hours a week and find it hard to slow down, rest, and relax. You become restless and begin the cycle of overworking, exhaustion, and burn out.

Self-Reliance

  • You find it hard to ask for help, so you just do everything yourself.

  • You want others to know what you want and read your mind.

Counterdependency:

  • You have strict and firm boundaries. You expect a lot from yourself and others.

    It’s hard to receive from others people (e.g. gifts, love, affection).

    You prefer being alone and relying on yourself because it’s hard to trust others.

  • You are often fearful, anxious, and on edge.

Avoidance

  • You are terrified of conflicts and disagreements. You go away when things get overwhelming.

  • After a difficult conversation, you find yourself ruminating over and over.

  • You isolate yourself for prolonged periods of time. You need excessive amounts of space away from people.

Shame

  • You feel like bad, unworthy, not enough, and inadequate.

  • You judge yourself more harshly than you judge others.

Body Tension

  • You feel tense in your body all the time. You find it hard to relax and hold your breath often, without even realizing it.

  • When someone hugs you, they make a joke that you’re stiff like a board.

Therapy For PTSD & Trauma Can Help You

✔️ Co-create a space where you have control of the pace and direction of sessions (we go at the pace of trust)

✔️ Education on your body physiology and nervous system so you know why symptoms are occurring;

✔️ Reducing intensity and severity of post-traumatic stress reactions (nightmares, anger, hypervigilance)

✔️ Learn emotional regulation skills to calm your body, soothe your mind, and decrease nervous system activation

✔️ Truth telling and making space for your self and your stories

✔️ Working toward a healthy, secure attachment style through interpersonal awareness with self and others (from an avoidant, ambivalent, disorganized, and/or anxious attachment style)

✔️ Learning to trust in the therapeutic process and me as your therapist (and ultimately learning to trust others in your life outside of therapy as well)

✔️ Exploring and mourning losses associated with the trauma through naming and expressing your emotions

✔️ Gain insight into trauma patterns and how they influence your current life and relationships and work toward shifting them

✔️ Learn how to communicate and ask for your needs, limits, and boundaries effectively

✔️ Re-parenting yourself or treating yourself as you deserved to be treated by your ideal parent/caregiver (e.g. re-learning skills, tools, managing emotions, having childhood experiences as an adult you never experienced as a child)

✔️ Understanding relapse is part of recovery (and not shame spiraling)

✔️ Breaking free from your trauma identity part and making space for other parts such as joy, love, desire, and peace

✔️ Move from codependency (I need you all the time) or counterdepedency (I don’t need anyone) to interdependency (I have myself and I have support from others as well)

✔️ Post-Traumatic Growth: Make meaning out of your experiences and embracing life with purpose

Healing Is Possible

There is hope.

I’ve worked with many survivors of childhood trauma who now have more peace, joy, freedom in their lives.

I work with survivors of trauma who are now parents who want to parent healthier children and break the cycle of trauma.

I work with therapists and social workers who are wounded healers.

I work with professionals who feel exhausted, overwhelmed, burnt out, and want to take better care of themselves.

I work with individuals who are dating or in relationships and want to create and sustain healthier and more satisfying relationships.

You can feel more joy and peace.

You deserve to have a life where you feel at home not just in your head, but in your body and emotions. You deserve authentic connection and loving relationships with people you trust and care for. 

Reach out today to schedule a consultation.

Still unsure? Check out my blog for posts on trauma recovery and education.

For referrals to other therapists, click here

Still Have Questions?

  • Click here for a list of resources.

    • Psychoeducation (providing information on what is occurring and how to heal from it)

    • A strong therapeutic relationship and alliance (goal consensus, agreement on therapy approach, personality fit)

    • Some form of exposure to what has been avoided (imaginal, in vivo)

    • Emotion regulation skills/tools

    • Cognitive restructuring, processing, and/or meaning making

    • Anxiety and stress management skills/tools

    • Interpersonal/relationship skills/tools

    • Problem solving skills

    • Behavioral activation (encouraging engagement in activities to positively change emotional state)

    • A focus on strengths and resilience

    • Fostering hope for change, growth, and healing

  • Recovery from trauma and PTSD is an individual process and will look different for everyone. Recovery is non linear.

    Your ability to heal from trauma depends on many factors including:

    • Your beliefs and perceptions

    • Your level of coping and resiliency

    • Your connection to support


    Here are the 3 core stages of nearly all trauma-focused and trauma-specific therapies.

    Safety, Trust, & Stabilization

    • We will get to know one another and I hope to earn your trust.

    • I will ask you about your current life situation, your support system, and history of trauma.

    • We will establish collaborative goals and identify your motivation for healing.

    • I will provide you information on why your body and mind are reacting the way they do.

    • We will also learn skills and tools to help you feel safer, secure, and more in control in your life, mind, and body.

    • These tools and skills will manage and decrease your symptoms of PTSD (e.g. grounding, mindfulness).

    Trauma-Focused Processing & Impacts of Trauma

    • We will make more sense and come to terms with the traumatic events through learning how these events impact your sense of self, beliefs about the world, relationships with others, and what you have lost.

    • This can include areas of: shame, guilt, anger, rage, sadness, pain, loneliness, self sabotage, ruminating thoughts, and feelings.

    • The bulk of this work is decreasing avoidance of your triggers, practicing embodiment, acknowledging emotions, feeling emotions, grieving, and mourning.

    • Essentially, we will be processing the memories of trauma through both talking and your body/soma so you are not “stuck” anymore with shame and fear.

    (Re)Integration & Post Traumatic Growth

    • In this last stage, we will help you move on from your traumatic experiences, looking to the future, and reconnecting with others. We will review what you have learned, anticipate challenges in the future, and what you can do to mitigate challenges.

    • We will identify your values, who and what matters most to you, your resilience, sources of joy and best hopes for the future.

    • For some people, we might also identify ways you can take action outside of the therapy room to create change in the world based on your healing journey so far.

    • This can include: activism, community organizing, writing, dancing, volunteering, educating others, and/or some sort of expression to channel your pain into whatever it is you wish.

  • It depends.

    Healing is non linear and re-visiting all stages is to be expected throughout your life.

    Trauma can be dormant. When our lives are going well, we may be able to manage our trauma more effectively.

    However, when life is especially painful, difficult, and challenging, our trauma may re-emerge. In other words, sometimes, our pains and wounds require more tenderness and care.

    Whether single incident trauma or complex trauma, trauma recovery requires a relationship facilitating the growth of trust through consistency, authentic emotional engagement, and often multiple experiences of rupture and repair. We hurt in relationships, but this is also where we can heal and grow.

    The most important thing I’ve learned throughout my years of practicing trauma therapy is this: trust, safety, collaboration are paramount in treatment.

    What happened to us in the past shape us in the present.

    Working toward a healthy secure adult attachment style is possible through hard work, patience, radical self compassion, embodied healing, decreasing avoidance, re-framing ways of unhelpful living as survival methods, mourning the life you never had, and finding new paths toward liberation through post-traumatic growth.

  • I specialize in relational approaches (AEDP, EFT, IFS) to complex trauma recovery.

    We hurt in relationships. We can also heal in a healthy relationship.

    I use my skills and training in trauma, attachment, emotions, mindfulness, and relational theory to help you learn to ask for what you want, say no without guilt, feel your emotions without overwhelming you, manage overwhelming thoughts, challenging negative core beliefs, increase your self confidence, become more comfortable with vulnerability, and learn to trust in yourself more and those you love.

    I regularly attend conferences, workshops, and trainings on the following: attachment, interpersonal neurobiology, somatic therapy, mindfulness, and relational trauma.

    Other forms of trauma therapy I don’t offer/practice that might be a better fit for you include:

    • Cognitive Processing Therapy

    • Prolonged Exposure Therapy

    • EMDR

    • Dialectical Behavior Therapy

    • Brainspotting

    • Narrative Exposure Therapy

    • Some clients benefit from brief therapy (1-4 sessions) or short-term therapy (3-6 months) for a single issue.

    • Other clients benefit from long-term therapy (6-12 months+) for more complex issues.

    • We’ll end therapy when your goals have been met, your symptoms have decreased, you want space and time to integrate your learning, and/or at anytime you feel therapy isn’t helpful.

    • Some folks also like to pause and take a break, coming back when necessary.

  • I have 6 years of mental health therapy experience and 7 years of social services experience.

    I specialize in working with:

    • Childhood trauma/abuse

    • Emotional neglect

    • Sexual violence/assault

    • Intergenerational trauma

    The bulk of my training and experience has been in the realm and intersections of trauma, relationships, and culture.

  • You might cry. Many people do. And it's completely okay.

    Crying is a normal, helpful, and natural way for our bodies to release pent-up emotions. Crying is a way to let go of the pain, sadness, or frustration you may be carrying inside.

    By crying, you're actually taking a positive step towards healing.

    Or you might not cry. And that’s okay too.

  • While it's possible to work on your own personal healing, therapy offers different benefits that may be difficult to achieve on your own.

    Talking to a friend, reading self-help books, journaling, and scrolling through TikTok and Instagram are all tools. Therapy is another tool.

    Therapists provide:

    • Accountability

    • Support

    • An objective perspective

    • Structure

    • Confidentiality

    • Expertise, skills, and training

    However, some people never go to therapy and live full and complete lives.

    Therapy is only one way, but not the only way, toward healing, growth, and transformation.

    You get to decide if therapy will be an effective and useful tool on your healing journey.

  • For referrals to other therapists, pro-bono (free) therapy, and reduced fee therapy, click here

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