Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

I use Traumatic Incident Reduction , Somatic Experiencing, and Internal Family Systems with you to relieve the unwanted feelings, sensations, images, and pain of PTSD in adults over 30.

You are a person who cares about the people in your life and you work to get things done. You have done a lot in life. When things are good, they are good. But sometimes a place, a conversation, or even a smell or sight triggers a strong reaction in you. You get overwhelmed, you want to run away or fight. Or just avoid anything that triggers this whole reaction in the first place. This gets in the way of your day, your plans, and how you relate to people in your life.

You know where this all started. Maybe it was an incident, like a car accident or assault. Maybe it was a whole experience, like caring for someone you loved who was ill. Or someone who treated you badly, but you were a kid or not in power, and you just had to deal with it. You might even have seen descriptions of PTSD and said, “I don’t have trauma. It’s not like I died or was going to.” You think PTSD only happens if you died or almost did. That isn’t you, so think if you just “push it down”, it will all work out.

Or you think you did have trauma. You talked to friend or family member, even a talk therapist, all caring people, who suggested this. Or you read something in a magazine or pamphlet. But you thought, “So? I know that, but I’m still stuck with it. It doesn’t help me.” Or, “I’m a grown-up now. It’s over. They can’t hurt me anymore. I have power.”

You appreciate the empathy. You get it. But that doesn’t relieve the symptoms. Our work does.

That is because it is not typical talk therapy. Talking only goes so far. This stuff is stored deeper in your body. And the methods I use have been researched, used on repeat, and they are what work for resolving the unwanted stuff that keeps your body and brain stuck.

I will help you reprocess what happened in a way that will help relieve these intense emotions, experiences, and images.

I am a Certified Traumatic Incident Reduction Facilitator. The work is more intense than typical talk therapy. We don’t just work on coping with your emotions and reactions so that you can “band-aid” your symptoms in the moment. We reprocess them, repair the deep wound, like surgery.

You will feel lighter, more grounded in the present, more able to live life with a renewed sense of self and purpose.

How this works.

We will work together to develop a case plan. I will not push you to view something you do not feel ready to view. Depending on the nature and duration of what happened to you, as well as on its impact, we might take just a few sessions or something longer-term. We always work with the goal of relieving your symptoms.

Please note, trauma sessions may last more than typical 45 to 60 minute session. This is because the session ends when you reach a good “endpoint” and are stabilized enough to end it. I charge accordingly. See “Fees, Payment and Policy” pages.