_edited.jpg)
Therapy for CPTSD
Online in California and Washington
In person in Lacey, WA
Let's Discover Who You Are Beneath The Survival Stragies
I often work with adults who have had the childhood experiences of: being raised by an emotionally immature parent, feeling unseen or chronically alone in their experiences, asked to step into caretaking roles at a young age, or growing up in an environment that had them walking on egg shells.
If this is you, you likely adapted wisely to your environment in order to survive it. In therapy, we can honor the version of you that had to do so, while also cultivating a loving inner-parent to begin reclaiming your right to love, safety, self-expression, and meaningful connection.
Beliefs That Hold You Back
You hear about a new position opening up at work. It sounds exciting and the significant pay bump would really help your family, but you question if you can handle it. Before you even apply, your brain plays you a tape of your boss letting you down and telling you you're never going to make the cut (memories of your father's voice ringing in your ears). You convince yourself it's not worth it to try, and so you stay stuck in the same old job that (in reality) you could do in your sleep.
Patterns That Derail Your Relationships
You come home feeling raw and irritable from a rejection that didn't actually take place. You find your partner on the couch with half-eaten dinner sitting on the table. You immediately snap at them and instantly regret it. You leave them on the couch and go tuck the kids into bed, alone. You know your kids heard you and try to put on a calm front, feeling guilty that they have to walk on eggshells with you too.
A Body That Won't Settle
It's 10pm--time for you to start winding down, but the stress in your body seems to have multiplied out of proportion with what actually took place today. You doomscroll for two hours, too exhausted for anything else. When you finally close your eyes and wait for sleep to come, all you hear are your neverending thoughts. The next morning, you snooze your alarm clock and jump out of bed when you realize you're late for work--you feel like you're always behind, whether it's for falling asleep or getting to work.
Why Pushing Through Isn't Working
-
You know your childhood was traumatic, but you might have thought it doesn't impact you any more.
-
You begin to realize that your mental health "symptoms" don't seem to respond to typical coping strategies and seem to pervade so many areas of life.
-
You might have tried meditation or yoga, or challenging your thought patterns... and they may have helped some, but your body still feels stuck in patterns of flight, fight, or freeze.
-
You may have tried to disprove harmful messages you were fed about your worthiness through achievement, but the self-doubt still hangs on.
How Relational and Somatic Therapy Helps
-
You don't just learn that messages you received about yourself (whether explicitly or implicitly) were false, you actually begin to feel the truth of your worthiness in your body.
-
Connection built through the therapeutic relationship can begin to thaw deep feelings of isolation or aloneness.
-
Feeling seen and heard by a compassionate witness can offer an inroad towards a gentler relationship with yourself.
-
Processing and growth move at your pace
-
Talking through the details of your experience is not required. Somatic therapy and Brainspotting offer powerful bottom-up healing.
Childhood Trauma is Only One Part of Your Story
My role is to help you integrate painful aspects of your past, find a sense of felt safety in your body, and cultivate a compassionate relationship with yourself.
You Know Your Strengths and Believe in Yourself
You have the confidence to apply for the job because you know you're going to be okay no matter what happens. You know that no one success or failure defines you. You're confident in your abilities and you know you deserve to be considered. You hit 'submit' on your application with a smile on your face.
Connection Comes Easier
You walk into the house after work, see the dishes on the table and when you have that familiar rise of irritation inside of you, you take a deep breath. You know your partner is just taking a 15 minute break on the couch before they round up the kids for bed. You're fighting with your partner less and your kids are enjoying your newfound silliness.
You Can Finally Relax
When the tasks for the day are done, you reach for your phone but then pause. You realize that mindless scrolling doesn't actually sound appealing. You phone a friend instead to let them hype you up for sending in that job application. You fall asleep feeling tired but content. Life isn't perfect, but it's good.