How trauma can show up
After a frightening or painful event, many people live with anxiety that won’t switch off, trouble sleeping, memories that intrude at the worst moments, or a sense of being numb and far away. Some people go back and forth between feeling flooded and feeling shut down.
This can follow a single event, such as an assault or an accident, or build up over years, as with childhood abuse or neglect. Either way, it’s a normal response from a nervous system that learned it had to protect you.
How I work with trauma
Everybody heals differently, so I tailor therapy to you. It usually moves through three overlapping parts:
- Feeling safe enough. The Safe and Sound Protocol and DBT skills help a stressed nervous system settle, so you can stay within your “window of tolerance” as the work goes deeper.
- Processing what happened. EMDR and Brainspotting help the brain reprocess traumatic memories so they carry less charge in everyday life.
- Understanding yourself. Internal Family Systems and CBT help you make sense of the patterns trauma left behind and relate to yourself with more compassion.
What I help with
- PTSD and the effects of single traumatic events
- Sexual abuse
- Childhood trauma, including the roots of codependency and addiction
- Trauma alongside anxiety, depression or self-harm
Sessions and fees
Sessions are 55 minutes and $165, online by video or in person in Renton, WA on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I’m not contracted with insurance; I can give you a superbill if you’d like to ask your plan about out-of-network reimbursement.
Questions
Do I have to talk about everything that happened?
No. We go at your pace, and we start by building a sense of safety. Approaches like EMDR and Brainspotting don’t require you to describe every detail out loud.
Can trauma therapy be done online?
Yes. I see clients by video in Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, South Carolina and Washington. In Washington you can also meet in person in Renton on Wednesdays and Thursdays.