Online in Austin and Across TX, WA, FL, ME, NM, & WI

Trauma & Complex Trauma Therapy

You don’t have to stay stuck repeating the same patterns.

A wooden pathway meanders through a lush forest with green and yellow foliage, shaded by tall trees.

You’ve been carrying so much for so long.

You’ve worked hard to hold everyone and everything together, but inside you’re exhausted. No one seems to realize how much you’re struggling. Even when things seem to be going well, you feel like you’re waiting for the other shoe to drop and just can’t let your guard down - especially in relationships. You scan for subtle shifts in energy that warn you something is about to go south and often don’t realize how stressed you feel until you’re completely overwhelmed.

You long for rest, or for others to take the reins for a while, but you know that if you take a break, things will fall apart. You’re the responsible one. You’re the one who makes sure that all the important tasks are handled. You’re the one who makes sure everyone else is okay.

You’re a high achiever and the one everybody counts on, yet deep down you still feel it’s not enough, or like you’re not enough. You sacrifice your wants and needs to keep the peace, hide your feelings to avoid conflict, or push yourself to keep going even when you’re running on empty.

Sometimes you wonder why certain situations elicit such strong emotions, why your body is always so tense, or why you can’t just let things go. You wonder, “what’s wrong with me?!” The truth is - there’s nothing wrong with you. These patterns were developed to protect you from being hurt. They’ve helped you survive. And now you deserve the chance to heal, feel calm and secure in your own skin, and create a life and relationships that support and energize you.

Close-up of tall pine trees in a dense forest with green foliage and textured bark.

Does this sound familiar?

You feel emotionally overwhelmed by things others seem to think is no big deal
You’re always trying to get it right but still never feel like you’re “enough”
You say yes when you mean no, then feel exhausted or resentful
You put things off - not because you’re lazy, but because you're afraid of making a mistake
You constantly second-guess yourself and wonder: “What’s wrong with me?”

Can you relate? If so, you're not alone - and it doesn’t mean that you’re broken or that anything is wrong with you.

“Trauma creates change you don’t choose. Healing is about creating change you do choose.”

― Michele Rosenthal

What Is Complex Trauma?

Unlike a single traumatic event, complex trauma usually involves chronic, repetitious emotional wounds - often stemming from childhood experiences, then reinforced through other long-term relationships. It may not look like “trauma” in the traditional sense. In fact, some people with complex trauma don’t even realize what they went through was traumatic.

Maybe you grew up with emotionally immature or unavailable parents, in an environment that felt critical, chaotic, or neglectful. Maybe you've been in a relationship with a narcissist and are only just starting to understand the impact. Or maybe you've never had a name for it — you just knew something felt off, or that love always seemed to come with conditions.

You learned to be the one who kept the peace, took care of others, or stayed small and silent to stay safe. Whether it started in childhood or in a relationship that slowly chipped away at your sense of self, your nervous system adapted — and you survived.

But the strategies that once protected you — people-pleasing, perfectionism, emotional numbing, isolating, procrastinating — have a way of quietly taking over. What helped you cope then can start to disrupt your current relationships and your life in the present.

A holistic approach to healing

Together, we’ll explore your past relationships and experiences to determine how your nervous system learned to cope with difficult situations. Then, we’ll help it to return to its natural state, which is working toward wellness and health.

You don’t need to keep working harder to “fix” yourself.
Instead, we can work with your nervous system to create safety, connection, and lasting change.

My approach to complex trauma therapy blends neuroscience-based, body-aware, and compassion-focused modalities to help you reconnect with your inner sense of safety, peace, and self-trust.

Let's Connect

What does it look like to heal from complex trauma?