Complex Trauma Therapy
Reclaim connection to your Self and a sense of Safety.
Usually, trauma is identified as a single event, like an accident, sudden loss, natural disaster, or assault. Complex trauma, however, develops when someone endures repetitive, ongoing, inescapable trauma that is prolonged and often begins in childhood. Complex trauma affects people deeply.
If you are affected by Complex Trauma, the world feels unsafe and overwhelming, and you find yourself shutting down. It causes you to feel like you are not enough, and self-criticism is always with you.
Relationships are unhealthy because chaos is familiar. It is difficult to trust yourself or others, and you may experience waves of fear and/or shame. You are in a continual state of hyper-vigilance, which is exhausting. As trauma lives in the body, you most likely experience chronic pain, digestive issues, tension, and tightness in your muscles.
None of these challenges is a sign of weakness. Your system has done what it had to do to survive unsafe environments, and it has done so brilliantly. This adaptation is deeply intelligent in allowing you to survive. Healing takes time, patience, gentleness, and support from safe relationships or professionals.
Healing complex trauma is fully possible.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) is effective, safe, and gentle in working with complex trauma. IFS involves deep listening to the readiness of your body (system), thus greatly reducing concern around re-traumatizing. Together, we will listen to the wisdom of your body, which gives clear messages around readiness and direction.
Internal Family Systems is about working with and befriending your parts. I provide a series of skilled, intuitive questions so that, together, we can shine the light of our consciousness on your parts and hold a safe, compassionate space for healing.
Your body, where these parts live, is giving you signals because they want to be heard. The parts want to share their worries, thoughts, feelings, and memories. You will learn to trust the messages from your body as you listen to what it wants you to know. There are no bad parts, even though other parts may not like a part; we understand that all parts have positive intentions and are doing their best to help you survive.
Trust in your body will grow as we together decode, listen, and respond to the parts that have been traumatized and to the protectors who have been working so hard to keep them from being overwhelmed. Healing these parts and helping them come into the present and integrate as healthy, healed parts is fully possible!
Don’t let complex trauma define you.
As complex trauma is relational, healing becomes most possible with the right kind of help.
Healing happens in small, steady steps that foster consistent connection and build trust with parts. As you build trust with your parts, you are building trust with yourself. You will begin to feel surer and more confident in your choices and decisions, and your system will relax in a space where you can slow down, feel met where you are, and be understood.
Learn to connect with the parts of yourself that have been working so hard to survive. Move toward a life that feels calm and more connected with your authentic self, where joy and peace are possible.
Reach out now. I can help.