Trauma Therapy in Los Angeles
Trauma-informed therapy for adults seeking deeper healing through Internal Family Systems, Brainspotting, and somatic approaches.
In-person in West LA & Beverly Hills • Telehealth Across California
The experiences that stay with us
Trauma is often associated with a single or series of overwhelming events.
In some situations, that is exactly what occurred. Experiences like violence, abuse or neglect, sudden loss, or serious accidents can exceed a person’s capacity to cope in the moment and leave a lasting impact.
In other situations, the impact develops in a different way. It can come from experiences that felt confusing, emotionally intense, or difficult to make sense of at the time, especially within important relationships or during periods where there was little room to process what was happening.
Because of this, the effects are not always immediately obvious.
They may show up later in how you respond to stress, relate to others, or experience yourself, even when your current circumstances are different.
You may understand what happened, and still find that certain reactions or patterns do not fully make sense in the present.
It is also common to minimize these experiences or feel like they should not still be affecting you.
What the impact of trauma can look like in daily life
The impact of these experiences is not always obvious at first.
It may show up in small but consistent ways over time, shaping how you experience yourself, your relationships, and moments of stress.
You might notice:
Internally
A sense of tension or unease that is difficult to fully settle
Moments of emotional overwhelm, or times where things feel muted or distant
A tendency to be hard on yourself, or a lingering sense of shame
Difficulty feeling fully grounded or present
Uncertainty about what you feel, need, or can trust within yourself
Intrusive memories or moments where past experiences feel close or hard to fully separate from the present
In relationships
Becoming more guarded or isolated, even when part of you wants connection
Feeling affected by how others respond, even in subtle ways
Difficulty trusting others, or trusting your own reactions
Finding yourself adjusting to others more than you intend
Noticing similar patterns repeat in relationships over time
In response to stress
Thinking things through repeatedly without resolution
Reacting more strongly than expected, or pulling back entirely
Avoiding situations that feel difficult to navigate
Moving between feeling on edge and feeling shut down
Returning to familiar patterns, even when they no longer feel useful
Relying on certain habits or behaviors to manage or avoid difficult emotions, even when they don’t feel helpful in the long run
How this work unfolds
Trauma therapy is not about forcing yourself to revisit painful experiences or pushing through things before you are ready.
It is approached at a pace that feels manageable, with attention to how things are unfolding in the present moment. This includes your emotions, your body, and the different responses that begin to show up over time, while also supporting a greater sense of steadiness and safety as the work unfolds.
Rather than trying to get rid of these responses right away, we work to understand them and relate to them differently.
The therapeutic relationship is also an important part of the process. Working in a way that is steady and responsive can help your system begin to feel and respond differently in situations that may have previously felt overwhelming or automatic.
This work may include approaches such as Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic practices, or Brainspotting, depending on what feels most useful for you. These approaches can support working with patterns at a deeper level, especially when something feels difficult to shift through talking alone.
Change often happens gradually, as these patterns begin to shift and no longer operate in the same way.
As this work unfolds, you may begin to notice a greater sense of ease in your day-to-day life. Things that once felt overwhelming may start to feel more manageable, with less of a sense of constantly holding things together.
You may also notice feeling more connected to yourself and others, and more present, with less intensity around experiences that once felt consuming.
If this feels like the kind of work you’ve been looking for, you’re welcome to get in touch and take the next step. Sessions are available in person in West LA and Beverly Hills, as well as online across California.