Complex Trauma

 You can be high-functioning and still living in survival mode.

Complex trauma isn't just about what happened to you. It's about how your mind and body adapted to stay safe when ongoing stress or unsafe relationships became your normal. You might notice it as constant hypervigilance, difficulty trusting people, or a harsh inner critic that never lets up. These aren't personal flaws. They're protective parts of you that learned how to survive.

I work with complex trauma through Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic therapy, and EMDR, grounded in relational psychotherapy. With IFS, we welcome all parts of you, especially the protective ones that feel anxious or overwhelmed, so you can understand what they're doing for you without judgment. With a somatic approach, we pay attention to how trauma is held in the body, helping your nervous system work through old stress responses and release tension at a pace that feels safe for you.

The therapeutic relationship is part of the treatment. My steady, non-judgmental presence offers co-regulation, the experience of borrowing calm from another person's nervous system. Over time, yours internalizes that calm, and it becomes a genuine sense of inner security.

Complex trauma is often rooted in relational wounds, where safety, trust, or care were broken in connection with other people. So part of our groundwork is building safety and trust between us. The dynamics that show up in your life, like difficulty speaking up, fear of conflict, or anticipating rejection, will surface in our sessions too. We meet those moments with gentle curiosity and use the space to practice boundaries and clear communication in real time.

By working with mind, body, and the moment-to-moment connection between us, we don't just process past pain. We help you build a grounded sense of inner leadership and self-compassion.