Trauma Therapy and Nervous System Regulation
Online therapy with a licensed clinical psychologist
Treating PTSD, Complex Trauma & Nervous System Dysregulation
Available in 40+ states through PSYPACT
Trauma is not defined only by what happened, but by how your nervous system experienced it and how that experience continues to live in your body, thoughts, and relationships.
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Some people come to therapy after a specific, identifiable event. Others have lived through many experiences over time that shaped how safe the world feels, how they relate to others, and how their body responds to stress. Both deserve thoughtful, attuned care.
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You may understand exactly where your patterns come from. You may have already spent years in therapy, developed a great deal of self-awareness, and learned the language of trauma, yet your body still reacts as if you’re not safe.
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You might feel chronically on edge, shut down or disconnected, or notice that attempts to calm yourself don’t always help. For some people, even breathing exercises, mindfulness, or focusing on bodily sensations can increase anxiety rather than reduce it.
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My work focuses on helping adults with complex trauma build greater capacity for safety and regulation without assuming that more insight, or trying harder to calm down, is the missing piece.
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Supporting clients through nervous system activation and coping is a core part of my trauma-informed work, an approach reflected in conversations I’ve shared with VeryWell Mind. My approach to trauma therapy is grounded in the belief that healing happens when you feel safe, supported, and in control of the process- not when you’re pushed to relive experiences before your system is ready.
Therapy for Acute Trauma & PTSD
Acute trauma refers to a specific event or series of events that overwhelm your nervous system’s ability to cope. This might include accidents, medical trauma, assaults, sudden losses, or other frightening or destabilizing experiences.
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Sometimes, even after the event has passed, the nervous system stays “stuck” in survival mode. This can lead to symptoms commonly associated with PTSD, such as:
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intrusive memories or images
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hypervigilance or feeling constantly on edge
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avoidance of reminders
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emotional numbing or shutdown
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strong physical reactions without a clear trigger
Not everyone responds to trauma in the same way. Two people can experience the same event and be impacted very differently. This isn’t about weakness or resilience- it’s about how your nervous system processed threat and safety in that moment.
Therapy for Complex Trauma & Chronic Stress
Complex trauma often develops over time through repeated or chronic experiences of stress, threat, emotional neglect, or lack of safety- especially in relationships or environments where escape wasn’t possible.
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This may include:
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chronic childhood stress or instability
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emotional or relational trauma
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repeated experiences of feeling unseen, unsafe, or unsupported
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long-term burnout, overfunctioning, or people-pleasing
Complex trauma isn’t only about having flashbacks, nightmares, or vivid memories of what happened. Over time, repeated experiences of stress or lack of safety can shape our overall sense of safety in our bodies and in the world. They can influence the lens through which we experience ourselves, other people, and relationships, even when there is no immediate threat.
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Rather than a single memory, complex trauma often shows up as patterns:
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difficulty trusting or relying on others
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feeling constantly responsible or on guard
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emotional overwhelm, shutdown, or numbness
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harsh self-criticism or shame
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difficulty feeling settled or safe in your own body
These patterns aren’t random. They can be understood as ways the brain and nervous system learned to anticipate danger, maintain connection, or protect you in environments where safety wasn’t consistent. What was once adaptive can continue long after the circumstances have changed, and and the very patterns that once helped you cope can begin to get in the way of feeling safe, connected, or fully present in the life you want to live.
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Therapy can help you begin to notice these patterns with greater understanding, build a stronger sense of safety in your body and relationships, and develop new ways of responding that are better suited to the life you’re living now.
When Talk Therapy Alone Hasn’t Been Enough
You may already understand your trauma. You may know where certain patterns came from, recognize your triggers, and even be able to explain why you respond the way you do, and still find that your body reacts before you have a chance to think.
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If talk therapy alone hasn’t created the change you were hoping for, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to try harder or talk about the past more.
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Trauma can affect more than the way you think. It can shape your nervous system responses, emotional reactions, patterns of protection, and the ways your body responds to stress and perceived threat. Insight can be incredibly valuable, but sometimes insight alone doesn’t shift those responses.
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That’s why my approach can include more than conversation. Depending on what feels useful and tolerable for you, we may incorporate nervous system-informed strategies, somatic interventions, parts-informed work, emotional regulation skills, and other experiential approaches alongside traditional talk therapy.
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The goal isn’t simply to understand why you feel the way you do. It’s to help create change that you can actually feel and experience in your day-to-day life.
A Nervous System-Informed Approach to Trauma Therapy
Trauma therapy is not about forcing processing before you’re ready. If your nervous system is overwhelmed, depleted, or doesn’t feel safe, asking you to “go back” into traumatic material can be unhelpful and sometimes retraumatizing.
Instead, we start by understanding your nervous system and building capacity first.
Building Nervous System Regulation & Emotional Safety
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mapping how your nervous system responds to stress, threat, and safety
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identifying patterns of activation (fight/flight), shutdown (freeze), or overdrive
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building regulation skills that actually feel supportive for you
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expanding your ability to tolerate emotion without becoming overwhelmed
Importantly, not all grounding or regulation tools work for everyone.
For some people, breath-focused exercises or body awareness can feel activating or unsafe and that’s valuable information, not a problem.
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We treat those reactions as data that helps us choose better starting points.​
Trauma Therapy Approaches I Use
My work is integrative and tailored, not protocol-driven. Depending on your needs and readiness, therapy may include:
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Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for Trauma and PTSD
To gently examine how trauma has shaped beliefs about safety, control, responsibility, and self-worth.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Trauma
To address trauma-related thought patterns, avoidance, and behavioral loops that keep symptoms going.
Parts Work and IFS-informed Trauma Therapy
To work with different parts of you that developed to survive without pathologizing or forcing change.
Somatic Therapy and Nervous System Regulation
To support regulation, safety, and reconnection with your body in ways that feel tolerable and respectful.
Emotion Regulation and Trauma Coping Skills (DBT-Informed)
To help you build practical tools for managing intense emotions, distress, and overwhelm as they arise. These skills support stabilization, increase capacity, and help you feel more grounded and resourced before (or instead of) deeper processing work. Skills are introduced thoughtfully and adapted so they feel usable in your real life, not overwhelming or rigid.
These approaches are used collaboratively, flexibly and paced to your nervous system rather than driven by a single protocol. I don’t believe there is one “right” way to heal trauma, and I don’t follow rigid, step-by-step treatment models.
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That said, I know some clients are specifically seeking a particular approach or protocol, such as EMDR, Internal Family Systems (IFS), or a strictly manualized form of CBT. While I draw from many of these frameworks in an informed way, I do not offer protocol-driven trauma treatment.
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Instead, I focus on understanding how trauma is showing up in your body, thoughts, emotions, and relationships, and we choose interventions together based on what supports safety, capacity, and meaningful change for you.
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If you’re looking for a very specific, single-model treatment, I’m always happy to talk that through during a consultation and help you think about what might be the best fit, whether that’s with me or another provider.
Trauma Therapy Without Forced Trauma Processing
Some clients want to eventually process traumatic memories in more depth. Others prefer to focus on:
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how trauma shows up in their body today
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emotional regulation and nervous system stability
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reducing reactivity, numbness, or overwhelm
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improving relationships and daily functioning
Both paths are valid.
You get to decide:
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what we work on
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how fast we move
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whether or not deeper processing feels right
Trauma therapy should feel empowering, not exposing.
Personalized, Trauma-Informed Therapy
My role is to help you:
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understand what your system learned in order to survive
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reduce shame and self-blame
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build safety and capacity before asking for change
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move at a pace that honors your nervous system
Healing doesn’t come from pushing harder.
It comes from creating the conditions where your system can finally exhale.
Get Started with Online Trauma Therapy
The best way to begin is with a free 20-minute consultation. This gives us a chance to talk briefly about what you’re experiencing, what you’re hoping for, and whether my approach feels like the right fit for you. Trauma therapy works best when you feel safe and comfortable moving forward, and this conversation allows you to ask questions and decide next steps without any pressure or obligation.
Trauma Therapy FAQ's
(Frequently Asked Questions)
What is trauma therapy and how can it help?
Trauma therapy helps you understand how past experiences, whether a single event or ongoing stress over time, may still be affecting your nervous system, emotions, relationships, and sense of safety today. Rather than focusing only on what happened, we also pay attention to how your mind and body adapted in order to cope or survive.
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Trauma therapy can help reduce reactivity, numbness, overwhelm, avoidance, and self-blame while supporting a greater sense of stability, connection, and choice in your daily life.
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How do I know if I need trauma therapy?
You don’t need to have a formal diagnosis or a clear label for what you’ve been through. Many people seek trauma therapy because they feel constantly on edge, emotionally shut down, easily overwhelmed, disconnected from themselves or others, or stuck in patterns they understand but can’t seem to change.
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Many of the adults I work with are high-functioning on the outside while carrying a lot internally. If past experiences are still shaping how you feel, react, relate to others, or move through the world today, trauma therapy may be helpful.
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What types of trauma do you work with?
I work with both acute trauma, such as a specific event or series of events, and complex or developmental trauma that develops through ongoing experiences over time.
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This can include childhood adversity, emotional neglect, difficult family dynamics, relationship trauma, medical trauma, workplace trauma, significant losses, chronic stress, and experiences of marginalization or discrimination.
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Trauma looks different for everyone. What matters isn't whether an experience fits neatly into a particular category, but how it affected you and how those adaptations may still be showing up in your life today.
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Can trauma therapy help if talk therapy hasn’t been enough?
Yes. Some people come to trauma therapy with a strong understanding of their past and why certain patterns developed, yet still find themselves reacting in ways they can’t simply think their way out of.
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Insight can be incredibly valuable, but trauma can also involve automatic emotional, physiological, and nervous system responses. If traditional talk therapy has helped you understand your experiences but hasn’t created the change you were hoping for, we may incorporate somatic and nervous system–informed strategies, parts-informed work, cognitive approaches, and practical regulation skills alongside conversation.
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The goal is to help you move beyond understanding your patterns intellectually and begin experiencing greater flexibility, safety, and choice in everyday life.
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What approaches are used in trauma therapy?
My approach is integrative, trauma-informed, and nervous system–aware. Depending on your needs, goals, and readiness, therapy may include:
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to gently examine how trauma has shaped beliefs about safety, control, trust, and self-worth.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to address trauma-related thought patterns, avoidance, and behavioral loops.
Parts Work and IFS-informed therapy to understand and support the different parts of you that developed ways of coping or protecting you.
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Somatic and nervous system–based approaches, informed by Polyvagal Theory, to build awareness of your nervous system responses and support greater regulation and safety in your body.
Skills-based support, including DBT-informed strategies, to help manage intense emotions, distress, and periods of overwhelm.
These approaches are used collaboratively and flexibly. I do not follow a rigid, one-size-fits-all trauma treatment protocol. Instead, we choose tools together based on your needs, capacity, preferences, and goals.
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Do I have to talk about or relive my trauma in therapy?
No. You are always in control of what you share and when you share it. Trauma therapy does not require you to recount every detail of what happened or repeatedly relive painful experiences.
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Some people eventually choose to process specific memories or experiences more directly, while others benefit from focusing on present-day patterns, nervous system responses, emotions, beliefs, relationships, or coping strategies.
Our work focuses first on helping you build greater safety, stability, and capacity. More direct trauma processing happens only if and when it feels appropriate for you.
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What if grounding or body-based exercises make me uncomfortable?
That’s important information. If you don’t feel safe or comfortable in your body, certain grounding, breathing, or body-focused practices can sometimes feel activating rather than calming.
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We pay close attention to how you respond and adjust accordingly. There is no single grounding technique that works for everyone, and you will not be expected to force yourself through an exercise that feels overwhelming or unhelpful.
Trauma therapy is about gradually building capacity and safety, not making your nervous system conform to a particular technique. Your responses help guide where we start and what approaches we use.
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Can trauma therapy be done online?
Yes. Trauma therapy can be provided through secure telehealth sessions, and many trauma-informed approaches can be adapted effectively for online therapy.
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Online trauma therapy also allows us to work with your responses and coping strategies in the environment where you actually live your daily life. We can tailor sessions to your needs, including pacing, grounding, nervous system regulation, cognitive work, parts-informed approaches, and other strategies that translate well to telehealth.
As with any form of therapy, we’ll consider whether online treatment is appropriate for your individual needs and circumstances.
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What states do you offer online trauma therapy in?
I am a PSYPACT-authorized licensed clinical psychologist, which allows me to provide online trauma therapy to clients located in most U.S. states that participate in PSYPACT.
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I commonly work with clients in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, and Virginia, but you may be eligible to work with me if you are physically located in another PSYPACT-participating state at the time of your session.
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Because PSYPACT participation can change, if you’re unsure whether I can provide therapy in your state, feel free to reach out and I’m happy to help you confirm. You can also check the PSYPACT map here.