Online Trauma Therapy in California

Trauma is any experience that was deeply disturbing or distressing for you, and the aftereffects of which (memories, dreams, etc.) are making it hard to function. Most of us experienced things in childhood that we could not understand or make sense of, and adults we trusted were at fault (whether accidentally or knowingly.) Without guidance or support from parents, children often make meaning of these events in very distorted, inaccurate ways. Often, they assume responsibility for the trauma, or aspects of it. This assumption of blame is sort of useful at the time of the traumatic event— it allows us to have a false sense of control, it makes our environment “safe enough” by removing fault from adult caregivers who were supposed to protect us but did not, etc.— but it becomes highly problematic in the real world, where problems abound. My clients come to me still using this “lens,” which is a relic of a childhood where things felt scary, confusing or didn’t make sense. In trauma therapy, we’ll examine your worldview and slowly start to modify it.

If you blame yourself for everything that goes wrong, take on too much responsibility and feel overwhelmed, find yourself always choosing the “hard way” of doing things, or try to be “perfect” all the time, it makes sense that you’d feel depressed, stressed, and out of control. People who have not sought trauma therapy to address their mental health may be getting by, but it’s hard to live life to its fullest. My plan is to help you explore what happened, learn cognitive (CBT) and distress tolerance (mindfulness, relaxation, etc.) skills to change unhelpful self-talk and manage big feelings, assess your experiences more accurately (e.g. without blaming yourself) and, ultimately, feel better. We can also use some EMDR to address your symptoms. You are capable of overcoming trauma, and I can help! Reach out now for trauma therapy with me.