Trauma therapy

No. Somatic Experiencing does not require full narrative memory of traumatic events. The body holds and processes experience even when explicit memory is incomplete, fragmented, or entirely absent. Many people, including survivors of early childhood trauma, experience meaningful healing without ever reconstructing a linear account.

Freezing and dissociation are nervous system responses, not character flaws or signs that therapy will not work for you. SE is specifically designed to work with these responses, slowly, carefully, without flooding. Learning to recognize and gently work with your own shutdown response is itself a core part of the healing process.

Somatic Experiencing works at the level of the nervous system, where trauma actually lives. Rather than asking you to narrate and analyze your experiences through conversation, SE tracks what happens in the body moment to moment: a tightening in the shoulders, a shift in breath, the subtle impulse to move or pull back. By working slowly with these sensations, the nervous system can complete the responses that were interrupted during the original event.

Both are trauma-focused approaches, but they work through different pathways. EMDR uses bilateral stimulation and memory reprocessing, often starting with a specific traumatic memory. Somatic Experiencing works through body sensation and nervous system regulation without requiring detailed verbal recounting. SE is particularly well suited for people who find memory-based approaches activating rather than relieving. I can discuss which approach may fit better during a consultation.

Yes. Virtual sessions are effective for trauma work, including somatic work. The therapeutic relationship, attunement, consistency, safety, translates to a virtual format. Telehealth trauma therapy is available to clients throughout Florida and Connecticut.

Often, yes. Anxiety, depression, emotional exhaustion, and burnout frequently have unresolved trauma at their root, not always dramatic events, but accumulated stress, relational wounds, or prolonged periods of feeling unsafe or unseen. Addressing the underlying nervous system dysregulation through trauma therapy can shift these presentations meaningfully.

Yes. Complex trauma, the result of prolonged, repeated, or relational trauma, is the primary focus of this practice. C-PTSD requires a slower, more titrated approach than single-incident trauma, with particular attention to stabilization, relational safety, and nervous system tolerance. This is work I have trained specifically to do.

I help adults heal from childhood trauma, emotional neglect, relational trauma, assault, medical trauma, and trauma that shows up physically as anxiety, shutdown, or overwhelm. My approach through Somatic Experiencing® is particularly suited to developmental trauma, complex PTSD, and attachment wounds.

The first session is a conversation, not an interrogation of your history. Together, we explore what brings you here, what you've tried, and what you need. There is no pressure to share more than feels right. Building safety is not a preliminary step before the real work begins. It is the work.

Timelines vary significantly depending on the nature of the trauma, your history, and how you respond to the somatic approach. Many people notice meaningful shifts within 8 to 16 sessions, though complex trauma and developmental trauma often take longer. Progress rarely looks linear, and we pace the work to match your nervous system's capacity.

Absolutely. Trauma impacts the entire nervous system and often shows up as anxiety, depression, irritability, or chronic overwhelm. Many of my clients initially come in for anxiety or burnout and discover that unresolved trauma is driving the pattern. Addressing the underlying nervous system dysregulation can shift what talk therapy alone has not been able to reach.