Trauma Therapy & Somatic Therapy in Thousand Oaks, Santa Monica, and Throughout California

Does this sound familiar?

  • You feel anxious, overwhelmed, or on edge without fully knowing why

  • You notice strong emotional reactions that feel hard to control

  • You feel shut down, numb, or disconnected at times

  • You’ve tried to understand your experiences but still feel stuck

  • You want to feel more present, grounded, and like yourself

Understanding trauma

Trauma is not only about what happened—it’s also about how your nervous system responded and what it continues to hold. Trauma is not always the result of a single overwhelming event. It can also develop through ongoing experiences such as emotional neglect, attachment wounds, relational trauma, or growing up in environments where you didn't feel emotionally safe or understood.

Even when experiences are in the past, the body can remain in patterns of:

  • activation (anxiety, hypervigilance)

  • shutdown (numbness, disconnection)

These responses are not something you chose—they are adaptive ways your system learned to cope.

Why a somatic approach matters

Many people have insight into their experiences, but still notice that their body reacts as if the past is still happening.

Somatic therapy works with these patterns directly.

Rather than only talking about what happened, we also pay attention to:

  • physical sensations

  • nervous system responses

  • moments of safety and regulation

This allows change to happen not just cognitively, but in how you actually feel in your body and daily life.

How therapy can help

Our work together may support you in:

  • feeling more grounded and present

  • reducing anxiety or overwhelm

  • increasing your capacity to handle emotions

  • gently processing past experiences

  • reconnecting with a sense of safety and self

A gentle, paced approach

Trauma work is not about pushing or re-experiencing everything all at once.

We move at a pace that feels manageable, building resources and stability along the way. This helps create a sense of safety and allows for more sustainable healing.

My approach

I take a somatic and integrative approach, supporting you in understanding how your experiences live in both your mind and body.

Our work may include:

  • somatic (body-based) awareness

  • EMDR for processing past experiences

  • parts work to understand protective patterns

This approach supports deeper, more embodied healing over time.

Who I work with

I often work with individuals who are:

✓ feel stuck despite previous therapy

✓ struggle with anxiety, hypervigilance, or shutdown

✓ experienced emotionally immature, inconsistent, or unpredictable relationships

✓ notice patterns of people-pleasing or self-abandonment

✓ understand their experiences intellectually but still don't feel different emotionally

✓ are seeking deeper healing than traditional talk therapy alone

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Many clients seek therapy because they understand their experiences intellectually but continue to feel anxious, overwhelmed, disconnected, or stuck in familiar patterns. While insight can be an important part of healing, it doesn't always address the ways trauma, chronic stress, and difficult relationships can become stored within the nervous system. Approaches such as Somatic Experiencing (SE), EMDR, and IFS-informed therapy can help address both the emotional and physiological patterns that may contribute to feeling stuck.

  • Somatic therapy recognizes that trauma, anxiety, and difficult life experiences affect not only our thoughts, but also our bodies and nervous systems. By incorporating body awareness and nervous system regulation, somatic therapy can help clients develop a greater sense of safety, resilience, and connection to themselves. Rather than focusing only on talking about experiences, somatic therapy supports healing on emotional, physical, and relational levels.

  • Trauma can affect how we experience safety, emotions, relationships, and our bodies long after the original experiences have passed. Somatic therapy helps clients understand and work with nervous system responses such as fight, flight, freeze, and shutdown. Through a gradual and collaborative process, clients can develop greater regulation, reduce symptoms of anxiety and overwhelm, and experience a deeper sense of safety and connection.

  • Relational trauma can develop through repeated experiences of emotional neglect, inconsistent caregiving, attachment wounds, emotionally immature relationships, or growing up in environments where you did not feel emotionally safe, understood, or supported. These experiences can affect self-trust, boundaries, relationships, anxiety, and the way we respond to stress throughout adulthood. Therapy can help identify these patterns and support healing in a safe and supportive environment.

  • You do not need to remember every detail of your experiences to benefit from trauma therapy. Trauma work is not about forcing memories or reliving painful experiences. Instead, therapy focuses on helping you understand how your experiences may continue to affect you in the present while developing greater safety, regulation, and self-understanding. Healing can occur even when memories are incomplete or unclear.

  • Yes. I provide in-person trauma and somatic therapy in Santa Monica and Thousand Oaks, as well as virtual therapy for clients throughout California. I work with teens and adults experiencing trauma, anxiety, relational trauma, attachment wounds, and the lasting effects of difficult life experiences.

Ready to Begin?

Healing from trauma doesn't mean forgetting what happened or forcing yourself to "move on." It means developing a greater sense of safety, connection, and trust within yourself.

Whether you're struggling with anxiety, relational trauma, childhood experiences, or feeling stuck despite years of insight and self-reflection, you don't have to navigate it alone.

I offer trauma and somatic therapy for teens and adults in Santa Monica, Thousand Oaks, and virtually throughout California.

Schedule a Free Consultation