Trauma Therapy

Are You Curious About Why Your Body Still Feels Unsafe?

Maybe you find yourself jumping at unexpected sounds, even when you know you're safe. Or you notice your heart racing during normal conversations, your system treating everyday interactions like emergencies. Perhaps you're wondering why you can't just "get over" what happened, or why trusting your own responses feels so difficult.

You might be asking yourself:

• Why does my body react this way?

• Will I ever feel normal again?

• How do I know what I actually want when everything feels like a threat?

These aren't signs that something is wrong with you. They're signs that your system learned to protect you in an environment that wasn't safe - and it's still doing that job, even when the danger has passed.

What you're experiencing is your nervous system's attempt to keep you safe. Your system is stuck in the ON setting. The challenge is helping it learn that safety is possible again, one small moment of awareness at a time.

Your Nervous System Learned to Protect You — And It’s Still On The Job

When you think of PTSD counseling, are you still thinking of a military veteran who experienced combat, or people who lived through a mass disaster — and disqualify your own traumatic experience as not big enough?

When you hear of Complex or childhood PTSD or C-PTSD therapy, do you think of the abused child who had no protective adults in their lives and think, well that wasn’t my experience so I can’t have C-PTSD? Those are common stereotypes, but they don’t capture the many ways trauma can be experienced or interrupt a life.

Have any questions? Send me a message!

Trauma Is More Common And More Human Than You May Realize

If you're struggling with trauma symptoms, you're not alone. Research shows that 70% of adults have experienced at least one traumatic event, and millions live with ongoing effects — hypervigilance, emotional numbness, difficulty trusting others, or feeling disconnected from their own bodies.

Trauma doesn't discriminate. It affects people from all backgrounds, all ages, and all walks of life. Whether it was a single overwhelming event or repeated experiences that wore down your sense of safety, your nervous system adapted in the only way it knew how — by staying alert, ready to protect you.

When Protection Becomes Exhausting

You might recognize some of these common responses: feeling like you're watching your life from the outside, having trouble sleeping or concentrating, avoiding places or people that remind you of what happened, or feeling like your emotions are either completely shut down or overwhelming.

These aren't character flaws or signs of weakness. They're evidence that your system worked exactly as designed — it kept you alive. The challenge now is helping it learn that protection and connection can coexist.

Healing Doesn’t Erase the Past — It Changes Your Relationship to It

Unburdening yourself by sharing your sometimes unspoken trauma story with the right therapist can move the needle on your healing journey. The encouraging news is that with the right therapeutic approach — one that honors your pace and builds on your existing strengths — you can begin to feel at home in your own body again. Trauma treatment can move you toward “I experienced that, but I am safe now.”

Rebuilding Trust in Your Own System, One Small Step at a Time

Trauma recovery therapy isn't about forcing yourself to “get over it” or pushing through symptoms. It's about scaffolding safety — building your capacity to feel at home in your own body again, starting with the smallest moments of awareness.

My approach begins with gentle inquiries and experiments that help you reconnect with your system's wisdom. We might start by simply noticing: What does your body need right now? Are you hungry, angry, lonely, tired, or craving movement, play, or humor? These are steps toward rebuilding trust in your body cues, intuition, and values — and learning to identify your individual wants and needs, then use your voice to advocate for them.

A Trauma Therapy Approach That Works With Your Nervous System

I integrate EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to help reduce the emotional reactivity and intensity that keeps your nervous system stuck in protection mode. Once we've decreased that overwhelming charge, we can integrate Parts work — exploring what different aspects of yourself need attention and care.

Combined with Polyvagal (fight, flight, freeze reactions) and somatic approaches, we help your nervous system learn new patterns of safety and connection (rest, digest, heal, and recover). Trauma therapy can involve a bit of time travel — helping your body discover safety in the present moment rather than staying stuck in the terror of the past.

From Survival Toward a Life That Feels Like Yours

As you build confidence in therapy and in your body awareness, we move from attending to your body’s needs right now to noticing where your attention lands and the sticky thoughts connected to the trauma you experienced. We learn to notice what needs care, how to provide for your own needs, and how to surround yourself with supportive, healthy relationships and environments.

As your capacity grows, you begin building a more beautiful life — one step at a time.

This isn't about quick fixes or breakthrough moments (though those can happen). It's about sustainable, organic change that honors your readiness, requires your consent, and builds on your willingness to try one small experiment at a time.

Common Questions About Trauma Therapy…

How Long Will This Take? I Just Want to Feel Normal Again.

Trauma recovery isn't linear, and there's no universal timeline for treatment. Some people notice shifts in their nervous system within weeks of starting counseling, while building deeper trust in your body's wisdom happens gradually over months.

What I can promise is that we'll move at your pace, honoring what your system can handle. “Normal” might not be going back to who you were before — it's often discovering who you're becoming when you're no longer managing hypervigilance.

What If Talking About Trauma Just Makes It Worse?

This is such a valid concern. That's exactly why we start by scaffolding safety first — micro body awareness, learning to resource yourself, and building capacity before touching difficult material.

The trauma therapy models I use help process traumatic memories without having to talk them through in detail. We go slow, we check in often, and you’re always in control of the pace.

I’ve Tried Therapy Before and It Didn’t Help. How Is This Different?

Many traditional approaches try to analyze trauma from the top down — talking through what happened. My approach works from the bottom up — helping your nervous system feel safe first, then building from there.

By combining EMDR therapy to reduce emotional intensity with body-based awareness and Parts work, we address trauma at multiple levels. And just as importantly — you’re not the same person who tried therapy before. Your readiness and circumstances have evolved.

Take the First Small Step Toward Feeling Safe in Your Own Skin

You don't need to know the road map. That’s my job as a trauma informed therapist. Sometimes the bravest thing is simply getting curious about what's possible.

I offer a free 15-minute consultation where we can talk about what you're experiencing and whether my approach feels like a good fit. No pressure, no commitment - just a chance to see if scaffolding safety and building trust in your own system resonates with you.

During our brief conversation, you'll get a sense of how I work and whether the combination of EMDR, Parts work, and body-based awareness feels right for where you are now. Most importantly, you'll leave knowing that healing is possible - one small, honoring step at a time.

Ready to take that first micro step? Reach out below or call me at 330-903-2223, to schedule your free consultation. I’m a trauma-informed therapist here to support you on your journey toward freedom and healing. Your system has worked so hard to protect you — let’s help it learn that safety and connection can coexist, so that protective energy can be returned to living an energized, thriving life.

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