Trauma Therapy in Westlake Village, CA
The pain of past traumas can be overwhelming....creating a sense of feeling lost, stuck in shame, anxious, or depressed, struggling with relationships, and just longing for peace and a feeling of safety.
What can trauma look like?
Trauma can take so many forms and can be set in motion from so many different experiences. You may have been:
abused as a child
emotionally neglected growing up
assaulted in college
the victim of date rape
grown up in a family with substance abuse issues
repeating hurtful patterns in relationships
had to adapt to a chaotic household...
There are as many possible sources of trauma as there are unique individuals in this world.
Here are some types of trauma:
Developmental Trauma
Early Childhood Trauma and Emotional Neglect. This kind of Trauma can be built over a lifetime beginning in childhood from relational experiences. These experiences typically emerge from the dynamics in the family and caregiver relationships. They originate from unpredictable, absent, emotional, and neglectful types of interactions and impact a child’s emotional, psychological and relational development.
sTress trauma
Trauma can also develop from a specific, unbearable event. A car accident, a rape, sudden death of a loved one, etc. Sometimes this results in PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) but not always. It does, however, leave its impact and can look different in everyone.
Child abuse of all forms is both a Developmental Trauma as well as a Stress Trauma.
Complex Trauma (sometimes called C-PTSD)
When someone has endured ongoing, repeated trauma in which they felt trapped and had no escape, this could result in Complex Trauma.
narcissistic abuse trauma
Being raised by a narcissistic parent, or having a narcissistic partner as an adult can put you in a position of psychological abuse, emotional manipulation, and mental powerlessness. The traumatic effects can be lifelong. Being in a close relationship with a narcissistic person can draw you in to a cycle that keeps you stuck in the relationship and often wondering if you are to blame for any problems that arise. You try harder to be better and wait for the love and approval of the other person, but you feel powerless in the relationship.
Ultimately, you may be in pain, struggling, and ashamed of how your life has been impacted by what’s going on “beneath the surface.” Sometimes you can be seen as so “together” by others in your life that you may even feel ashamed to have reached this point of inner suffering..
Let's get to know your unique story and together work towards healing the old hurts still haunting you.
Your body can carry a lot of unspoken pain, memories, history.
Resolving trauma from the past can be an immensely healing process.
What you may expect to be an unbearable journey, slowly unfolds into a life that becomes known, safer, and more empowered.
How can therapy help heal trauma?
I provide Trauma-Informed and Trauma-Focused care. This means treating a whole person, accounting for past traumas as well as the current coping mechanisms so we can work towards understand your behaviors and find healing. This compassionate, trauma-informed approach allows us to acknowledge how current behaviors, addictions, and symptoms are often survival skills due to trauma at some point (or several points) along the lifespan.
Along with a psychodynamic approach to work through how early experiences are impacting life now, I also bring in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy (a body-oriented, attachment and relational trauma therapy) to help soothe and regulate your more automatic physiological effects of trauma and help you feel more stable and connected and present.
You don't have to move through the journey alone. We can work together to:
Develop ways to safely move through the healing process by attending closely to the pace of our work, the emotions that arise, listening to your body, your words, and your dreams, and establishing was to manage and calm any intense and overwhelming emotions and experiences.
Build your sense of being more solid and grounded in your life by learning to listen to and know yourself well and to self-sooth and quiet moments of overwhelm and intense feelings.
Learn to manage vulnerability and fear while developing ways to feel safe in your life and your relationships by increasing self-awareness, establishing solid boundaries, learning how to feel safe and build trust, and learning to use your voice to say what you need.
Making a choice towards your healing and growth is a courageous step and trauma recovery IS possible! I’m a therapist with extensive expertise in treating trauma, and when you’re ready, I would love to support you in finding your peace and freedom from the old hurts and pain. You don't have to go through it alone. Just click the “Get Started Now” button to begin.