Trauma often shows up as overfunctioning or underfunctioning.
Trauma powerfully impacts the nervous system because it overwhelms our natural capacity to cope, leaving the body and brain stuck in survival mode long after the danger has passed.
When an experience is perceived as threatening or inescapable, the nervous system shifts into fight, flight, freeze, or collapse — and sometimes it struggles to fully reset. This can show up in everyday functioning through disrupted sleep, nightmares, hypervigilance, avoidance of reminders, emotional reactivity, or intrusive memories and images that feel as though the event is happening all over again.
Over time, trauma can also shape how we relate to ourselves and others. It may impact attachment patterns, trust, boundaries, and a sense of safety in relationships.
PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) can develop after a single traumatic event and often includes re-experiencing symptoms, avoidance, negative shifts in mood and beliefs, and heightened arousal.
Complex PTSD, which tends to arise from prolonged or repeated trauma (especially interpersonal trauma), includes these symptoms but also deeper difficulties with emotional regulation, self-worth, and relational stability.
At its core, trauma is not just a memory — it is a nervous system injury that affects how we feel, think, connect, and move through the world until it is safely processed and integrated.
My approach.
A compassionate, attuned, somatic approach to trauma helps rewire the nervous system from a state of constant threat to one of regulation and safety. EMDR reprocesses memories so they no longer trigger the alarm system, IFS helps us relate to protective and wounded parts with understanding rather than judgment, and ACT builds flexibility to stay present and act in line with values. Together, these approaches support the nervous system, mind, and body in integrating trauma and reclaiming a sense of safety and agency.