“In order to rise from its own ashes a Phoenix must first burn”
Why start a service that specializes in Complex PTSD, Narcissistic Abuse and Trauma?
Throughout my 15+ years as a therapist, I have noticed that many therapists are unaware of, or are lacking the adequate training needed to treat pervasive, everyday traumatic experiences, a.k.a. Complex PTSD. As I read and studied about trauma and its effect on the body, it made sense why so many techniques I had been taught did not work for so many people. Many of my clients had never heard of CPTSD and had no idea that all of these “crazy reactions,” actually made perfect sense after identifying their abuse history.
So what are some of the causes of Complex PTSD?
Emotional Abuse is one of the hardest for people to recognize as it can often be subtle or used with guilt, and yes it is traumatic (ex: gaslighting, manipulating, controlling behavior, denying, invalidating, pressuring, guilt-tripping, etc.
Emotional Neglect (ex: withholding love or affection to punish, ignoring, inability to empathize or acknowledge others feelings, minimizing experiences and feelings, etc)
Physical Abuse (grabbing, slapping, throwing items, pushing, etc.)
Verbal Abuse (not just name-calling but also demeaning statements, putting others down, chipping at self-esteem, etc.)
CPTSD is often missed because symptoms are often not recognized due to their subtle nature such as:
Feelings of emptiness and being unimportant
Loss of sense of self (what you do, think, and feel is “wrong”)
Feeling as if you are on autopilot or at times feel like you are “losing it”
Feeling “crazy” or “too sensitive”
Lack of self-trust and doubting your intuition
So Why See Me?
The more I learned about trauma, Complex PTSD, and Narcissistic Abuse, the more intimately it affected me. I wanted to be able to help people who had fallen through the cracks, and who had not gotten relief even after years of therapy. I also wanted to help the people who didn’t even realize they had been abused and blamed themselves for appropriate reactions resulting from years of trauma.
What many people don’t realize is that most therapists are not trauma trained and have been diagnosing and treating people incorrectly, leading client’s to feel that they are “too messed up to fix.” I have found that you have to be a particular type of therapist to treat this form of abuse because it’s not just about reading a book and taking some classes (which I’ve done), but by living through it yourself. I believe because of my personal experiences of trauma, combined with my therapeutic experience, I have a unique ability to not only provide real techniques that work but can genuinely understand and empathize with your experience. Having a therapist you like, you trust, is very important to the outcome of therapy. I’m a person who has been through trauma, who knows surviving is messy, and has made it through the other end, which means I may understand you in a way most therapists can’t.
Choose today to be the day where you don’t just exist, but you finally get to thrive!
Click on the Youtube link below for my video content on common therapy questions and concerns