Complex Trauma & Anxiety
Helping Adults in Arizona Break the Cycle of Generational Attachment Trauma
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You might find you're stuck in an anxiety loop, unable to get off the ride whirling around inside you. Perhaps it feels like there's an endless list of worries: What if my partner leaves me? Am I a terrible parent? What if I made that person upset? What if they don't like me? You may even worry you simply aren't good enough, and a deep, critical voice inside you reminds you of that every day.
- You find yourself fixated on things being perfect and exactly so.
- You worry you're not doing enough and try to add more to the already overflowing plate.
- Staying busy so there's no time to think or be alone with your thoughts.
- Sometimes you shut down, avoiding everyone and everything because all the pressure, pain, and anxiety is too much.
- You react to your kids or partner in ways you don't like and don't understand.
- Letting someone else see your struggle or know your pain feels unbearable.
Does it feel like your past is closer to the surface than you'd like? Like you're in survival mode all the time?
Whatever it is that you’re experiencing, you're beginning to notice the impact in every facet of your life:
Complex Trauma & PTSD
Counseling for complex childhood and relational/attachment trauma helps clients address the ways these experiences influence self-esteem, sense of identity, and patters of relating to others as adults. This therapy can also help parents change how they approach their children, leading to more effective parenting, secure attachment development, and connection.
Many of my clients were verbally, emotionally, and physically abused or neglected in childhood. Fighting, harsh criticism, hitting, divorce, shaming, impossible or unpredictable expectations, bullying, and lack of emotional connection are some of the common experiences I hear about that have lasting impacts in ways that may not be obvious.
Maybe this looks like:
The impact of complex trauma can be hard to pinpoint. Often, leading to people minimizing their experiences and hiding the distress they carry deep down.
- An over arching feeling of anxiety with no identifiable cause, like you're waiting for the other shoe to drop.
- Having a vague feeling something is wrong with you, but not asking for help because 'what if you really are the problem?'
- You keep finding yourself in toxic or abusive relationships, and don't know why.
- Feeling like being vulnerable and showing your feelings feels dangerous or not allowed.
- Have a strong reaction to criticism or rejection.
- There's a battle between the parts of you craving connection and the ones feeling terrified to let someone else in.
- A strong critical voice inside you that keeps you feeling ashamed and not good enough.
Counseling for complex trauma can help.
It may feel impossible now, but you can let go of the deep pain and shame from relational hurts and childhood wounds. You can feel good enough. You can escape the patterns that keep you stuck and finally find the balance you've been searching for.
My approach welcomes all parts of you and comes from a place of compassion and encouragement. Your parts that feel hopeless, your angry parts, your grieving parts, your exhausted parts, all of them are valued here.
I believe that you are doing the best you can, in every way you know how. You've tried self-care and affirmations, hobbies, avoiding, compartmentalizing, and everything in between without finding long term relief. You want something that finally works and changes things for good.
- Quiet your inner critic and understand its role
- Stop blaming yourself for the bad things that have happened to you
- Feel safe being vulnerable and expressing your needs or feelings
- Find balance between the parts of you always pushing for perfection and the parts that want to shut down
IFS informed therapy for complex trauma can help you:
Learn more about my approach