Working with trauma
“Healing is never the lack of struggle. It is the presence of a sacred resilience that allows us to look at our wounds and see them not as our final destination, but as the soil where hope grows.”— Dr. Dan Allender
When We Feel “Stuck”
Understanding developmental trauma, attachment, and the patterns we carry.
Sometimes we find ourselves feeling stuck — caught in patterns we can recognize but don't quite understand. These patterns can affect so many areas of our lives, particularly our relationships, our emotions, and the way we see ourselves.
Often, there are deeper reasons for the ways we respond, even when those responses no longer seem to be serving us well. Our early experiences and relationships can shape what we come to believe about ourselves, what we expect from others, and how we learn to navigate our emotions and relationships.
I specialize in working with developmental trauma and the attachment wounds that can develop through our early experiences. Together, we can begin to explore not only what is happening in your life, but also why. With compassion and curiosity, we can begin to understand the deeper patterns and protective responses that may have developed along the way.
As a Certified EMDR Therapist, I often use EMDR, ‘Parts’ Work, and an Attachment-Focused approach to help us explore what may be happening beneath the surface and to begin the process of healing those wounds.
Sometimes we discover a part of ourselves that became very good at caring for the needs of others, but never really learned that it was okay to have needs of our own. Sometimes we learned, early on, that there wasn't much room for our emotions. We may have become very good at putting feelings aside, staying strong, keeping the peace, or taking care of everyone else. We may even be incredibly capable of showing up for the people we love while a part of us is quietly becoming exhausted and overwhelmed.
These patterns often made sense at some point in our lives. They may even have helped us cope, belong, or feel safe. But what helped us then may not be what we need now.
There is hope.
When we begin to understand these patterns rather than judge them, we can start to develop new ways of relating to ourselves and to the people around us. We can learn — or sometimes relearn — how to recognize our own needs, make room for our emotions, and offer ourselves the same care and compassion we so readily extend to others.
You don't have to lose yourself in caring for others. You can learn to care for yourself, too.
My hope is that, together, we can gently discover the parts of you that may have been overlooked, silenced, or lost along the way, and find new ways of moving into the future — with greater freedom, hope, energy, and authentic joyfulness.