Therapy for PTSD
Living with PTSD can shape how you experience yourself, others, and the world around you. Many people describe feeling stuck in patterns of fear, disconnection, or overwhelm that don’t seem to match their present circumstances. These experiences are common responses to trauma, and they are miserable to live with; but I don't need to tell you that. You already know! The good news is you can heal from PTSD with the right support, therapy, and commitment.
What Is PTSD?
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) develops when experiences that were overwhelming, frightening, or life-threatening continue to affect you long after the events themselves have passed. Rather than being a problem of memory or willpower, PTSD reflects how the nervous system learned to respond in order to survive.
When something traumatic happens, the brain and body shift into protective modes—fight, flight, freeze, or collapse. For some people, these responses do not fully settle afterward. PTSD occurs when the nervous system remains organized around past threat, even when you are now safe.
PTSD can result from a single event or from repeated, ongoing experiences. Trauma may involve accidents, violence, medical events, military combat, first-responder work, childhood abuse or neglect, systemic harm, or other situations where choice, safety, or control were compromised. Two people can go through similar events and be affected very differently; PTSD is shaped by many factors, including prior experiences, available support, and how the event was processed at the time.
How PTSD May Show Up
PTSD can affect people in many different ways. You may notice some of the following:
Intrusive memories, flashbacks, or nightmares
Feeling constantly alert, tense, or reactive
Avoiding people, places, or situations that bring up distress
Emotional numbness or difficulty feeling close to others
Shame, guilt, or harsh self-judgment
Challenges with trust, safety, or connection
These patterns are signs that your system learned strategies to manage overwhelming stress. Therapy focuses on understanding these responses and helping them shift so they no longer organize your daily life.
A Trauma-Informed Therapy Process
Therapy for PTSD is collaborative and paced with care. We focus on building stability, awareness, and skills that support regulation before moving into deeper trauma processing. You are an active participant in the process, and your feedback helps guide the direction of our work together.
A core modality used in my work with clients is Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). EMDR helps the brain and nervous system reprocess traumatic memories so they can be stored in a way that is less distressing and less disruptive to daily life. Rather than talking through events in detail, EMDR works with the brain’s natural capacity to integrate experience, often reducing the emotional charge, physical reactivity, and negative beliefs connected to trauma.
Depending on your needs and readiness, therapy may include:
Developing tools for emotional and nervous system regulation
Understanding trauma responses and how they show up in daily life
EMDR to process traumatic memories, triggers, and body-based reactions
Increasing choice and flexibility in how you respond to stress
Strengthening connection with yourself and others
The goal is not to force change, but to support meaningful shifts that feel sustainable and integrated.
Working With Mind and Body
PTSD affects both the mind and the body. Stress responses can become automatic, even when danger is no longer present. Therapy often includes paying attention to physical sensations, patterns of tension, breath, and movement, helping your nervous system update its sense of safety in the present.
As these responses shift, many people notice changes not only in symptoms, but in their overall sense of presence and engagement with life.
Expanding Your Life Beyond Trauma
Trauma can limit options—how safe you feel, how connected you are, and how freely you move through the world. Therapy aims to expand those options again. Over time, people often experience:
Greater emotional steadiness
Improved sleep and focus
Increased self-understanding and self-trust
More satisfying relationships
A clearer sense of direction and meaning
Healing does not mean erasing the past. It means being able to relate to it differently, with less disruption to your present life.
Beginning Therapy
Starting therapy for PTSD is a significant step. It’s normal to have questions, concerns, or mixed feelings about reaching out. Therapy is a space for exploration, reflection, and change—one that develops through a strong, respectful working relationship.
If you’re considering therapy for PTSD, I invite you to get in touch to learn more about how we might work together.