Compassionate Therapy for Childhood & Complex Trauma
Serving clients virtually in California and Washington and locally in San Rafael
When the Past Still Lives in Your Body
You might notice moments where you feel on edge—bracing, overthinking, or reacting in ways that are hard to regulate.
You may:
feel a surge of anxiety, panic, or overwhelm in certain situations
have strong emotional reactions that feel hard to regulate
shut down, go numb, or disconnect when things become too much
feel constantly on edge or unable to fully relax
have difficulty calming yourself once you’re activated
notice your reactions feel intense, sudden, or hard to control
These responses are often rooted in earlier experiences, where your nervous system learned to adapt in order to cope, stay safe, or belong.
Healing Childhood Trauma
Many of our core wounds and false beliefs stem from childhood. Early experiences—at home, in school, or in relationships—can leave lasting imprints that continue to shape how you see yourself, relate to others, and move through the world.
Core false beliefs often live beneath the surface, quietly influencing your behaviors and relationships. These may sound like “I’m not good enough,” “I’m unlovable,” or “I’m too much.” They don’t just exist in thought—they often show up through the body, in patterns of tension, activation, shutdown, or difficulty settling.
Healing involves reconnecting with the younger parts of you that carry these experiences—offering the care, protection, and compassion they didn’t receive. Through this process, we begin to reparent ourselves, allowing our adult self to lead with greater awareness, love, and presence.
I use Internal Family Systems (IFS) to help you reconnect with your inner child and shift the beliefs that continue to shape your life. Approaches like EMDR, Brainspotting, and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy support the release of trauma held in the body and nervous system.
Complex Trauma: When Your System Gets Stuck in Survival
Complex trauma develops through repeated or ongoing experiences—such as sexual abuse, combat exposure, childhood abuse, secondary trauma, or abusive relationships—that overwhelm your sense of safety. Over time, your body can get stuck in survival states like fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, making it hard to settle, feel present, or come back down once activated.
Using somatic approaches, we support the nervous system in regulating and settling so survival patterns aren’t running on auto-pilot. Through Internal Family Systems (IFS), we begin to understand and shift the protective responses that developed over time, helping these parts ease the intensity of defense mechanisms. EMDR supports the processing of traumatic and intrusive memories and thoughts that are still held in the system.
I incorporate a liberation psychology lens, supporting you in unburdening what your system has been carrying so you can develop greater self-trust, confidence, and a stronger sense of empowerment.
I offer trauma therapy for clients in California and Washington via telehealth, with in-person sessions available in San Rafael.
Ready to Dive In ?
I offer a free 20-minute consultation to learn more about my approach and services, and see if its a good fit.