You can show up unsure, frustrated, skeptical, embarrassed, or without the right words. We can start with what is actually happening and work from there.
Trauma is more than the event
Trauma is not defined only by what happened. It is also shaped by how the experience was processed, whether you had support, and what your nervous system learned in order to survive.
Responses such as hypervigilance, numbness, avoidance, anger, people-pleasing, or emotional shutdown may have once been protective. Therapy can help those responses become more flexible.
Understand. Learn. Practice.
Trauma work does not begin with forcing you to relive everything. We start by understanding your current reactions,triggers, hypervigilance, nightmares, shutdown, shame, anger, avoidance, or feeling disconnected. You learn grounding and regulation skills, then practice staying present as we work at a pace that fits your nervous system and goals.
When appropriate, I may incorporate EMDR-informed preparation and processing alongside ACT-based skills and other trauma-responsive interventions.
What healing can mean
Healing does not require forgetting or approving of what happened. It can mean the memory feels less immediate, your body has more room to settle, and the past has less power over current relationships and choices.
