Trauma Therapy
What happened to you is not who you are.
Trauma is not just what happened to you, it's what happened inside you as a result. It lives in the body, shapes how you see yourself, others, and the world, and can make you feel permanently altered, even years after the moment has passed.
Trauma is broader than most people realize. It can stem from a single overwhelming event (like an accident or assault), or from prolonged experiences like childhood neglect, emotional abuse, or difficult relationships. Both are valid. Both deserve care.
Signs You May Be Carrying Trauma
Trauma can show up in many ways. You might be struggling with:
Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares
Feeling numb, disconnected, or "not really there"
Hypervigilance: always waiting for something to go wrong
Difficulty trusting others or feeling safe in relationships
Shame, self-blame, or a sense of being fundamentally broken
Emotional reactivity: going from 0 to 100 very quickly
Chronic pain, fatigue, or physical symptoms with no clear cause
Difficulty with memory, concentration, or feeling present
This list is not exhaustive. If something about your emotional life, relationships, or sense of self just doesn't feel right, that's reason enough to seek support.
How We Work Together
Trauma therapy requires a careful, paced approach that honours your nervous system. I use a phase-based model, building safety and stabilization before moving into processing, and draw from EMDR, somatic therapy, and IFS, tailored to what your system can handle.
Safety & Stabilization
Before anything else, we build a foundation of safety, in our relationship, in your body, and in your life. This phase is never skipped. We develop grounding tools, somatic anchors, and coping strategies that give your nervous system something to come back to, so that when we do go to harder places, you're never without a way home.
Understanding the Trauma Response
So much shame and self-blame can lift when you understand that your responses make complete sense. We explore why your nervous system and mind respond the way they do, not as a sign of weakness or damage, but as evidence of survival. This psychoeducation is often quietly transformative on its own.
Processing Traumatic Memories
Using EMDR, somatic approaches, or parts work, we gradually process difficult memories at a pace that your system can tolerate, reducing their emotional charge and loosening their grip on your present-day life. You do not need to relive what happened in detail. The goal is not to erase the past, but to change the way it lives in your body.
Integration & Moving Forward
Healing from trauma is not just about reducing symptoms, it is about rebuilding. Reconnect with who you are beyond your trauma: your values, your sense of agency, your capacity for joy, and your hopes for the future. Many people find that this stage brings a depth of self-understanding they didn't expect.
Common Questions
No. Trauma therapy, especially somatic and EMDR approaches, does not require you to retell your story in graphic detail. We go at your pace, always.
PTSD is a clinical diagnosis, while "trauma" is a broader term for any experience that overwhelmed your ability to cope. You don't need a PTSD diagnosis to benefit from trauma therapy.
Trauma isn't defined by the event itself, it's defined by how your nervous system responded to it. If something happened that overwhelmed your capacity to cope and left a lasting impact, it deserves care, regardless of whether it "counts" by anyone else's measure.
Let's Start This Journey Together
I offer a free 15-minute phone or video consultation. No commitment, just a genuine conversation about whether we're a good fit.