Therapy for Trauma

Overcoming Trauma

Trauma can shape how you experience safety, connection, and your own body long after the original events have passed. Therapy helps you understand these patterns and gradually restore a sense of steadiness, choice, and self-trust.

What Trauma Can Feel Like

Trauma is not defined only by what happened. It is defined by how your nervous system adapted in order to survive.

You may notice:

• Feeling constantly on edge or easily startled

• Emotional numbness or disconnection

• Difficulty trusting others or yourself

• Strong reactions that feel confusing or out of proportion

• A sense of being stuck in the past or bracing for the future

Many people with trauma histories continue to function well outwardly while carrying significant internal strain. These responses are not signs of weakness. They are protective patterns that once made sense.

How Trauma Shows Up in Daily Life

Trauma often appears indirectly rather than through clear memories. It can show up as:

• Difficulty relaxing or feeling safe in your body

• Chronic anxiety, irritability, or shutdown

• Trouble with boundaries or asserting needs

• Repeated relational patterns that feel hard to change

• Physical symptoms such as tension, fatigue, or pain

Because these responses become automatic, they can feel frustrating or mysterious over time.

Neurodivergence and Trauma

Neurodivergent people are more likely to experience trauma, and trauma often looks different when neurodivergence is part of the picture. Sensory sensitivity, differences in emotional processing, communication styles, and executive functioning can increase exposure to chronic stress, misunderstanding, or invalidation over time.

For some, trauma develops not from a single event but from repeated experiences of being overwhelmed, misread, or expected to function in environments that did not accommodate their needs. These experiences can shape nervous system responses in lasting ways.

Trauma therapy that is neurodivergent-affirming focuses on understanding these patterns without pathologizing difference. The goal is not to normalize you, but to reduce suffering, build safety, and help your nervous system recover from chronic strain.

Trauma and the Nervous System

Trauma lives in the nervous system as much as in thoughts or memories. When the body has learned that the world is unsafe, it may stay in a state of hypervigilance or collapse even when danger is no longer present.

Therapy helps you:

• Recognize nervous system responses

• Build capacity to stay present with difficult sensations

• Expand your window of tolerance

• Restore a sense of agency and choice

This work is paced carefully. The goal is not to relive experiences, but to help your system learn that the present moment is different from the past.

What Therapy Does and How It Helps

Trauma therapy focuses on creating safety first. From there, we work toward integration rather than elimination of symptoms.

Our work may include:

• Understanding how trauma shaped your patterns

• Developing grounding and regulation skills

• Working with emotions and bodily sensations

• Gently processing experiences when appropriate

• Rebuilding trust in yourself and others

This approach respects your boundaries and your nervous system’s timing. You remain in control of the pace and focus of the work.

Why This Work Matters

Unaddressed trauma can quietly limit your life. It may affect relationships, work, creativity, and your sense of possibility.

As trauma responses soften, many people notice:

• Greater emotional range

• Improved ability to rest and relax

• More stable relationships

• Increased self-compassion and clarity

Healing does not mean forgetting. It means living with more presence and less fear.

Who This Work Is For

Trauma therapy may be a fit if:

• You feel stuck in patterns you cannot explain

• Your body reacts before your mind can catch up

• Past experiences still feel active in the present

• You struggle with trust, safety, or emotional closeness

• You want careful, respectful support

This work is offered for adults in individual therapy.

What to Expect

Trauma therapy moves at a deliberate pace. Sessions often focus on:

• Building safety and stability

• Increasing awareness of internal cues

• Practicing regulation and grounding

• Integrating insight with bodily experience

Progress tends to be gradual and cumulative. Over time, many people feel more grounded, more connected, and more able to engage fully in their lives.

Ready to begin?

The first step is to schedule a 15-minute consultation call so we can discuss what you’re looking for help with, any questions you may have for me, and whether we might work well together and be ready to schedule our first therapy session.