Trauma Therapy
San Diego, CA

Many of us seek therapy with the idea that it is “one-size-fits-all”—as long as we find a therapist to talk to, we’ll eventually get better. Unfortunately, when it comes to trauma, talk therapy alone might not be enough to address the distressful memories that remain stuck in our nervous systems and continue to haunt us. To heal, we need to reprocess these memories and the associated core beliefs that are stored deep within the brain.

If you have tried traditional talk therapy to heal trauma or PTSD without success, you may benefit from utilizing evidence-based treatments, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). We have witnessed the firsthand transformation trauma-targeted therapy can offer and are eager to share what it has to offer with you.

Unresolved trauma keeps a part of you frozen in the past. As much as you want to move on with your life and find peace and fulfillment, you might feel stuck and unable to find a positive path forward. You might not recognize how deeply your past experiences still affect you today—emotionally, physically, and spiritually. Still, we are here to validate your experience and remind you that you deserve to heal.

Trauma and PTSD counseling offers a safe space to develop a deeper awareness of how trauma affects the way you think and feel about yourself and the world around you. Asa team of trauma therapists who specializes in addressing trauma and PTSD, We will provide you with tangible tools and skills to manage distressing symptoms, as well as incorporate evidence-based approaches, such as EMDR, to help process and release painful experiences. The goal of therapy will be to free yourself from the weight of trauma and unearth the happier, healthier person that’s remained hidden for so long.

Trauma treatment will be collaborative and tailored to your specific needs. We will work together to decide on your goals, ensuring we move at a pace you feel comfortable with. When addressing childhood trauma in therapy, it’s important that we first develop skills to calm the mind and body before moving on to an exploration of past experiences. We will only dig deeper when you feel more grounded and can manage whatever anxiety symptoms you may be experiencing.

Sessions will be guided by what is coming up for you presently. If, for example, you’re encountering difficulty in your relationship, we might examine your family history and discover patterns and negative beliefs you may have developed in childhood that continue to influence how you see yourself and relate to others. We will also explain the function of the nervous system and explore what triggers you into fight-or-flight mode.

We are passionate about incorporating evidence-based modalities into trauma treatment, including Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness. EMDR is a particularly effective therapy for treating trauma. Through eye movements or bilateral tapping, EMDR mimics REM sleep, allowing you to process distressful experiences that remain stuck in your brain and nervous system.

CBT cultivates more awareness about how thoughts and beliefs affect your emotions and behaviors. Negative core beliefs you have held about yourself may be causing you to internalize shame and experience difficulty in maintaining healthy relationships. Not only does CBT provide tools to help you manage the symptoms of trauma, but it also allows you to shift your beliefs and perspectives more positively. DBT offers effective skills to regulate emotions, foster mindfulness, and build your distress tolerance.

You don't have to be controlled by your past. PTSD therapy can help you overcome your trauma symptoms, restoring your sense of self with newfound self-compassion, confidence, and empowerment.

But Maybe You’re Not Sure If Trauma Therapy Is Right For You…

I’m afraid of reliving my trauma in therapy.

Before we move into any deeper treatment, such as EMDR, we will first help you learn tools and skills to regulate difficult emotions and manage the symptoms associated with trauma, such as anxiety and feeling out of the body. We always set a pace that you’re comfortable with and will never push you beyond your limits. Utilizing EMDR doesn’t require you to talk about your trauma unless you feel it may be healing to do so.

Since others are worse off than me, does my experience warrant trauma therapy?

A common protective mechanism we possess is to minimize a traumatic experience as “no big deal.” But no matter how small an event may seem, if it is negatively impacting how you think and feel, it’s usually a sign you could use some help and support. Therapy provides a supportive environment to safely process your trauma and learn lifelong coping strategies to keep your symptoms in check.

I’ve tried trauma counseling before but it didn’t help.

Many clients we work with have tried talk therapy previously but found it wasn’t particularly helpful in overcoming their trauma. As a team specializing in treating trauma, we have received training in EMDR, an evidence-based modality that’s effective in reducing symptoms as well as addressing deeply rooted emotional pain. Depending on your comfort level, we will use as many hands-on tools and skills as possible to help you heal from trauma.

Many people find relief through evidence based therapies that help the brain process overwhelming experiences in a safe and structured way. The most effective trauma treatments focus on reducing distress, increasing emotional regulation, and helping you feel grounded in the present. Approaches such as EMDR therapy, trauma focused CBT, are commonly recommended because they address both the emotional and physical impact of trauma.