Complex and Developmental Trauma
“You can’t stop the waves but you can learn to surf.”
- Jon Kabat Zinn
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) defines complex developmental trauma as “children’s exposure to multiple traumatic events—often of an invasive, interpersonal nature—and the wide-ranging, long-term effects of this exposure.”[1]
Complex trauma is a series of experiences that are accumulated over time, and untangling them can feel overwhelming. And it doesn’t have to be one big recognizable event; repeatedly not being listened to by your parents, often being told that “if you don’t stop crying I will give you something to cry about”, being teased and bullied, all takes its toll.
Our childhood traumatic experiences impact us in so many ways—from how we build relationships with other people to how we deal with conflict and stressful situations.
Together, we will work to understand how your past experiences are impacting your current reality, and chart a path forward to something healthier, more balanced, and whole.
We will also keep track of your feelings and explore how your body reacts as part of your trauma response. Our goal here is to help you become more self-aware of your own trauma response so you can learn how to better deal with trauma-induced conflict.
You may be struggling with:
- Depression that keeps coming back, even after you’ve sought treatment
- Feelings of irritability, anger and frustration that you can’t get rid of.
- Feeling like your emotions are all over the place.
- Feeling unworthy, guilty, or not good enough.
- The same relationship problems coming back time and again.
- The challenges and overwhelm that come with caring for children or older parents or having a high stress job.
- The impact of the parenting you received in your early life in which you experienced emotional neglect or abuse from emotionally immature parents, that continues to impact you in ways you may not even fully realize.
I work with:
- Adults and college age individuals
- Parents and caregivers
- People experiencing recurring and persistent depression
- People experiencing emotional dysregulation
- Those in challenging relationships with difficult people
- Professionals who deal with intense, career-related stress
