Trauma Therapy | Online & in Boulder, CO
Heal your trauma and journey forward in life with intentionality and joy.
I’ll be honest with you. I have had my own journey of healing from trauma.
I know what it is like to feel like you are constantly in survival mode–reacting to life rather than having the freedom to respond in ways that are authentic to you. Through my own healing work, I have broken free from the critical voice in my head and have developed a sense of safety and stability in life. I have learned how to live into my authentic self. I now have space within me to laugh, adventure, and dream again.
You are not alone. Healing is possible for you, too.
You feel like you are in survival mode and feel defeated in life. You desperately long for a sense of safety and stability. You live life preparing for the next thing that will cause you to feel unsafe and unstable. You feel hindered in your relationships, career, and life in general because your fears and anxiety have taken the driver seat.
You may feel as if no one understands you and question if you are too broken to live the life you dream of. You may even experience either physical symptoms in your body that doctors can’t seem to diagnose or a complete disconnect from your body. You may have experienced abuse, the trauma of betrayal, or racial or sexual discrimination and rejection. Or you may have no memory of a traumatic event in your life and wonder why you still have symptoms of trauma.
You may feel like there is no one who can understand you.
You may feel as if you are forced to live a restricted life as a result of your trauma—things you used to do, now feel more difficult or scary. You might feel like you have lost the freedom in your life that you once had—the freedom to have joy or live without being on guard. You may feel ashamed when you notice that other people don’t seem to live with so much avoidance.
You may feel shame for the ways you react to situations. You wonder if you are overreacting and being “dramatic,” yet deep down you know that there is a reason your body is reacting this way.
You may feel overwhelmed by the critical voice in your head that shames you and feel the temptation to protect others from your trauma by withdrawing from your relationships. Your inner critic’s voice may seem like the strongest voice in your life right now.
You may be experiencing physical symptoms—insomnia, chronic pain, digestive issues, fatigue—that your doctor’s cannot find a diagnosis for.
You may blame yourself for being…
too weak
too emotional
too damaged to have healthy relationships
You may believe that you experienced trauma because you deserved it–that deep down, there is something inherently wrong with you. You may feel hatred toward your body for putting you through so much–the anxiety attacks, the lack of sleep, the nightmares, the body tension and chronic pain…the list goes on and on. You may have decided that you would be better off ignoring your body and focusing more on thinking positive thoughts.
Take the first step towards feeling whole again.
The truth is, you are here today because your body did exactly what it was designed to do.
You have been through so much. You are here today because your body did exactly what it needed to do to help you survive.
Often when I work with clients with trauma, I notice that they carry a sense of shame and sometimes even hatred toward their traumatic symptoms (hypervigilance, reactivity, avoidance, constantly feeling anxious or “on edge,” etc.). You may feel shame for your symptoms, wondering why you can’t be more trusting and relaxed as others. You are a magnificently well-adapted person. You have survived because your body did exactly what it needed to do in that moment.
You may currently be safe and no longer facing the traumatic threat, but your body--having learned a skill that helped it survive—feels hesitant to let go of that survival tool.
You do not have to live in survival mode any longer.
How do you get out of survival mode and begin truly living again?
Developing self-compassion toward your whole self. The shame that confronts you daily makes it so difficult to love yourself. When your relationships are falling apart and you struggle to move through your day without a high level of anxiety, it can be difficult to love yourself. You may feel afraid that if you offer yourself compassion, you won’t ever change. This is your inner critic talking. Healing happens when you feel safe with yourself, your relationships, and the space around you.
I am here to hold hope for you, support you, and empower you to develop compassion toward your whole self—your traumatized body included.
You will learn how to honor your body and mind for the ways they have protected you. You will slowly be able to release these maladaptive survival tools by replacing them with skills and techniques that can serve you in your current reality. We begin teaching your body that it is safe--that it is okay to let go and trust again. As your body slowly learns that you are safe, you will notice your heart and mind feel more free to live with intentionality and joy rather than reactivity and fear. We will explore the generational patterns of trauma in your family and how they continue to live on in you. As we integrate your mind, emotions, and body, you will begin to release the trauma that has lived on in your family for generations.
My Approach
Fostering Safety
Feeling safe in your body, relationships, and environment serves as a critical foundation for healing trauma. By feeling safe, your body and mind will feel free to process your trauma. Through a combination of mindfulness, regulation techniques, and DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy) skills we will help you feel safe and grounded before navigating your trauma.
Exploration
This phase will offer you the space to explore your trauma narrative and help you develop a narrative that allows for new neural connections to form in the brain. This phase of treatment will create opportunities for you to integrate your memories, emotions, and bodily sensations. Alongside listening and processing, I use Internal Family Systems (IFS), Gestalt techniques, and a narrative approach to support you in this process.
Empowerment
Having explored your narrative and developed the skills to regulate and cope with stressors as they arise, you will experience a sense of empowerment. Having constructed new meaning from your experience, you will be able to embrace all parts of your story with compassion. Together, we will explore ways you can reclaim the forgotten parts of you, embrace the life you want to live, and embody your authentic self.
What would it feel like to heal your trauma?
You will find that you have the energy to thrive and dream again. Parts of you that have remained dormant will come alive as you explore your authentic self and embrace a life of connection and joy. You will find that you are able to have healthy, secure, and stable relationships. You will begin to feel safe and at ease again. You will no longer be waiting for the next shoe to drop–you will have a new spaciousness within you to respond to life rather than react to crises. You will no longer feel ashamed for who you are, but will instead embrace your identity and live more authentically.
You do not have to do this alone. I am on your team and here to cheer you on and support you in the process.
“Our wounds are often the openings into the best and most beautiful part of us.” - David Richo
Let’s Talk!
Book a free 15 minute phone call with me.