Complex trauma can affect the way you relate to yourself, your emotions, and other people long after painful experiences have ended.
Complex PTSD often develops through ongoing relational trauma, emotional neglect, chronic stress, inconsistent caregiving, or experiences where emotional safety, trust, or connection felt unpredictable over time.
Many people living with complex trauma appear highly functional externally while internally struggling with anxiety, emotional overwhelm, self-criticism, shame, relationship difficulties, or a persistent sense of never fully feeling safe, settled, or understood.
Complex PTSD can look like
chronic anxiety, hypervigilance, or feeling “on edge”
difficulty trusting yourself or others
intense emotional reactions that feel hard to control
people-pleasing, perfectionism, or over-functioning
shame, self-criticism, or feeling fundamentally flawed
emotional numbness or disconnection
difficulty identifying your needs or boundaries
relationship patterns that repeat despite insight
fear of abandonment, conflict, or emotional vulnerability
feeling emotionally stuck even after years of self-work or therapy
Trauma responses are often adaptive, not irrational.
Many of the emotional and relational patterns associated with complex PTSD began as ways of coping, surviving, or staying connected in difficult environments. Hypervigilance, emotional shutdown, perfectionism, people-pleasing, or difficulty trusting others often develop for understandable reasons. These patterns may once have helped you stay safe emotionally, even if they now create distress, exhaustion, or disconnection in your current life.
Therapy is not about judging or “fixing” these responses, but understanding them with more compassion, clarity, and curiosity so that new ways of relating to yourself and others can gradually become possible.
Healing from Complex PTSD requires deeper work.
Complex PTSD is not only about specific memories or past events. It can also shape nervous system responses, attachment patterns, emotional regulation, self-worth, and the ways people learn to protect themselves in relationships.
Because of this, many people find that insight alone is not enough to create lasting change. You may already understand your history intellectually while still feeling emotionally reactive, disconnected, overwhelmed, or stuck in repeating patterns.
Therapy for complex trauma often involves more than simply talking through experiences. It can include building safety within the therapeutic relationship, working with protective patterns compassionately, processing unresolved experiences, and gradually strengthening the ability to stay connected to yourself emotionally.
I specialize in working with adults navigating complex trauma, attachment wounds, emotional neglect, and long-standing relational patterns using EMDR and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy.
My approach is grounded, relational, and depth-oriented while also active and engaged. I work well with clients who are motivated for meaningful trauma work and are looking for therapy that moves beyond surface-level coping strategies or weekly “downloads.”
Many clients I work with are thoughtful, self-aware, and emotionally insightful, but still feel emotionally stuck despite years of trying to understand themselves. Therapy can become a space to explore these deeper patterns safely while building greater self-understanding, emotional flexibility, and connection.
I offer virtual therapy for adults located anywhere in Oregon or California. If you are looking for a therapist experienced in working with complex trauma, emotional neglect, attachment wounds, and depth-oriented EMDR or IFS therapy, I invite you to reach out for a consultation.