Specialties
What I help with
These are the experiences I work with most. If you see yourself in more than one, that’s common. Trauma tends to touch many parts of life.
More about you
Welcome, I am happy you are here.
Trauma looks different depending on your experiences and how your body holds it. It can manifest in many ways like anxiety, or dissociation. These experiences can become overwhelming and debilitating.
That’s where therapy comes in.
ThenYou may have experienced
- Childhood abuse or neglect
- Medical trauma
- Sexual trauma
- Relationship abuse
- Repressed emotions
- Self-blame
- Living in survival mode
- Chaotic parent relationships
- Difficulty feeling safe
- Feeling isolated
- Feeling alone
StillYou may still struggle with
- Not feeling worthy
- Avoiding your past
- Using humor to cope
- Dissociation
- Forgetting parts of childhood
- Deep shame
- People pleasing
- Not voicing your needs
- Bottling up anger
- Feeling stuck
- Trouble trusting people
- Trouble quieting thoughts
Now
Regardless of how trauma still lives in your body, it doesn’t have to stay there.
PTSD
Your body still braces, even when you know you’re safe.
PTSD can follow a single overwhelming event or many smaller ones. Your mind may know it’s over, but your nervous system hasn’t gotten the message yet.
How it can show up day to day
- You startle at sudden sounds, or scan every room for the exits.
- Sleep is light, broken, or full of dreams you’d rather not have.
- You steer around certain streets, smells, or conversations without quite deciding to.
- Some days you feel on edge and irritable; other days you feel flat and far away.
We use EMDR and somatic work to help the memory settle where it belongs, in the past, so your body can stand down.
Childhood abuse
You learned to survive early, and you’re still carrying the rules.
Abuse or neglect in childhood shapes how we see ourselves and what we expect from other people. The ways you adapted made sense then. They may be costing you now.
How it can show up day to day
- A harsh inner voice that sounds a lot like someone from your past.
- Trouble saying no, asking for help, or trusting that care will last.
- Feeling much younger than you are when you’re hurt or criticized.
- Holidays, family visits, or becoming a parent bring up more than you expected.
Through attachment-based and inner child work, we tend to the younger parts of you that never got what they needed, gently and at your pace.
Sexual trauma
Feeling safe in your own body can be hard to come by.
Sexual trauma can leave you feeling disconnected from your body, your choices, and your sense of safety with others. You decide what we talk about and when.
How it can show up day to day
- Feeling numb, tense, or far away during closeness or touch.
- Shame or self-blame that doesn’t budge, even when you know better.
- Avoiding doctors’ visits, dating, or situations that feel exposed.
- Moments where you lose time or feel outside yourself.
We start by building safety and choice in the room. Somatic tools help you notice and trust your body’s signals again before we go anywhere deeper.
Anxiety
Your mind is always three steps ahead, bracing for what might go wrong.
Anxiety often has roots in old experiences that taught your body to stay alert. Understanding those roots can change how anxiety shows up today.
How it can show up day to day
- Replaying conversations long after they end.
- A tight chest, upset stomach, or racing heart with no clear cause.
- Over-preparing, over-checking, or putting things off because they feel too big.
- Trouble resting, even on days off.
We work with your nervous system as well as your thoughts, so calm becomes something your body can actually feel.
OCD
The thought won’t leave until you do the thing, and then it comes back.
OCD can be exhausting and isolating, especially when the thoughts feel shameful or frightening. They don’t define who you are, and they’re more common than you might think.
How it can show up day to day
- Unwanted thoughts or images that feel sticky and hard to shake.
- Checking, counting, cleaning, or mentally reviewing until it feels “right.”
- Seeking reassurance from others again and again.
- Hours lost to rituals that you wish you could stop.
Together we make space to understand the cycle, build tolerance for uncertainty, and look at any trauma that may be fueling it.
Difficulty with relationships
You want closeness, and it also scares you.
Many relationship struggles are old attachment patterns showing up in new places. I work with individuals and couples to understand those patterns and change them.
How it can show up day to day
- The same argument on repeat, with a partner, friend, or family member.
- Pulling away when someone gets close, or holding on tighter when they need space.
- Feeling responsible for everyone else’s feelings.
- Choosing people who feel familiar, even when they don’t feel good.
Attachment-based therapy helps you see your patterns with compassion and practice new ways of connecting, alone or with a partner.
Not sure where you fit?
You don’t need a label to start. The free consultation is a good place to talk it through.
Request an appointment