You are not what’s happened to you.
Therapy for Complex Trauma in WesternWashington
Does your body sometimes act like you’re in danger, even when you know you’re safe?
Trauma and chronic stress can leave your nervous system stuck in protection mode long after the danger has passed.
When we don’t have the tools to regulate that response, it can show up in so many ways: impulse control struggles, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, dissociation, substance use, co-dependency and toxic partnerships, or patterns that keep repeating in our relationships even when we want things to change.
Maybe you’ve had intrusive thoughts or urges that led you to say or do things you didn’t mean. Maybe you’ve felt disconnected from yourself or your body, or like you can’t concentrate. It’s hard to trust yourself when your nervous system is in overdrive and you can’t hear the whisper of your intuition over all the internal noise.
Healing from complex trauma isn't about forgetting what happened. It's about building a different relationship with yourself- one rooted in safety, self-compassion, and trust.
How therapy works
You can discover a greater sense of safety and trust within yourself
Complex trauma affects more than memories. It can shape the way you think about yourself, the way you relate to others, and the way your body responds to stress long after the original experiences have passed. Many of the reactions that leave you feeling frustrated, overwhelmed, or stuck today may have once been important survival strategies.
In therapy, we'll work together to better understand these patterns and the role they have played in helping you navigate difficult experiences. Using a blend of somatic, trauma-informed, and attachment-focused approaches, we'll explore how trauma continues to live in your nervous system while developing new ways to respond to yourself with greater compassion, flexibility, and care.
As healing unfolds, you may begin to feel less controlled by old wounds and more connected to your own strengths, needs, and values. Rather than simply managing symptoms, our work can help you build a deeper sense of safety within yourself and reconnect with the person you are beyond your trauma.
My role is not to fix you, because I don't believe you are broken. My role is to walk alongside you as you make sense of your experiences, develop greater self-trust, and create a life that feels more grounded, connected, and fully your own.
Therapy for Complex Trauma can help you…
Understand how trauma has shaped your thoughts, emotions, relationships, and nervous system
Listen to your body with curiosity rather than judgment
Pause and respond rather than react, even in emotionally charged moments
Reconnect with the parts of yourself that trauma may have forced you to set aside
Build a life that feels guided by choice rather than survival
Frequently asked questions about anxiety therapy
FAQs
-
Complex trauma often develops in response to repeated or ongoing experiences that leave you feeling unsafe, unseen, unsupported, or emotionally overwhelmed. While it can include experiences such as abuse, neglect, or abandonment, it can also result from chronic criticism, inconsistent caregiving, parentification, bullying, or growing up in an environment where your emotional needs were not consistently met.
Many people with complex trauma don't initially recognize their experiences as traumatic because there may not have been a single event that stands out. Instead, they notice ongoing struggles with self-worth, emotional regulation, relationships, trust, boundaries, anxiety, or feeling stuck in survival mode. If you've ever found yourself wondering, "Why am I still affected by this?" or "Why does this feel so much harder for me than it seems to for other people?" complex trauma may be worth exploring. Learn more.
-
Trauma doesn't only affect memories. It can also shape the way you think about yourself, relate to others, and respond to stress. Many trauma responses develop as adaptations that help you survive difficult experiences. Even when the original circumstances have passed, those patterns can remain active until they are understood, processed, and supported in new ways. Learn more.
-
No. Therapy moves at a pace that feels safe and manageable for you. While understanding your history can be an important part of healing, you do not need to repeatedly revisit or recount every traumatic experience in detail in order to heal.
For some people, focusing too heavily on the story of what happened can feel overwhelming, unhelpful, or even reactivating. That's why trauma therapy is not just about talking, it's also about helping your nervous system process and integrate experiences in a way that feels safe and supportive.
Depending on your needs and preferences, we may incorporate approaches such as Brainspotting, somatic therapies, mindfulness, and other body-based techniques that allow healing to occur without relying solely on words. Together, we'll find an approach that honors your experiences while helping you move toward greater safety, healing, and self-trust. Learn more.