Trauma Therapy in Palm Desert & Coachella Valley

Nervous-system-informed support for healing from trauma and chronic stress

When your body is still responding, even though the danger has passed

For many people, trauma doesn’t live as a single memory or a clear event.
It lives in the body.

You may not think of what you’ve been through as “trauma,” yet you notice that your body stays tense, alert, or reactive. You might feel overwhelmed more easily than you expect, disconnected from yourself, or constantly bracing, even when life looks relatively stable on the outside.

This isn’t a sign that something is wrong with you.

It’s a sign that your nervous system learned how to protect you when things felt too much, too fast, or too unsafe.

Trauma is not defined by the event, but by how your system experienced it

Trauma isn’t measured by how severe something looks from the outside.
It’s shaped by how overwhelmed your body felt, and whether you had enough safety, support, or containment at the time.

Trauma can come from:

  • medical experiences, fertility journeys, pregnancy, or birth

  • loss, grief, or sudden life changes

  • chronic stress or emotional neglect

  • relationships that required you to stay small, vigilant, or self-contained

  • growing up without consistent emotional safety or attunement

When experiences exceed your system’s capacity, your body adapts.

Those adaptations may have helped you survive, but they can continue long after the threat has passed.

How trauma can show up in everyday life

Trauma responses don’t always look dramatic or obvious.
They often show up quietly, woven into daily life.

You might notice:

  • feeling constantly on edge or easily startled

  • difficulty relaxing or trusting safety

  • emotional flooding or sudden shutdown

  • feeling disconnected from your body or emotions

  • patterns repeating in relationships

  • anxiety that doesn’t respond to logic or reassurance

Often paired with a lingering question:

“Why am I still reacting like this?”

The answer is rarely more insight.
It’s that your nervous system hasn’t yet learned that it’s safe to let go.

Trauma therapy that works at the pace of your nervous system

My approach to trauma therapy is nervous-system-informed and attachment-based.

That means we don’t push you to relive or retell what happened before your system is ready.
We don’t rush insight.
And we don’t override your body’s signals.

Instead, therapy focuses on:

  • creating enough safety for your system to soften

  • noticing how trauma responses show up in real time

  • gently interrupting survival patterns as they arise

  • expanding your capacity for regulation, choice, and connection

This work is intentionally slow and attuned.
That pace is what allows real repair to happen.

A note about anxiety and trauma

Many people arrive at trauma therapy through anxiety.

If anxiety has been a constant presence, especially anxiety that feels physical, reactive, or hard to manage, trauma or chronic stress may be part of the picture.

You can learn more about anxiety-focused work here → Anxiety Therapy

You don’t need to decide which label fits best.
We listen to what your nervous system is already showing us and start there.

This work may be a good fit if you:

  • Have a history of trauma, loss, or chronic stress

  • Feel stuck in survival mode even when life has slowed

  • Notice strong reactions you can’t “think” your way out of

  • Want therapy that feels grounding, not overwhelming

  • Are looking for deeper repair, not just coping strategies

You don’t need to share everything at once.
We move at a pace your body can tolerate.

What healing can begin to feel like

Over time, many clients begin to notice:

  • less bracing and reactivity

  • a body that settles more easily after stress

  • greater emotional range and presence

  • more choice in how they respond

  • a growing sense of internal safety

The past doesn’t disappear, but it no longer runs the present.

Getting started

I offer trauma therapy for adults in California.
Sessions are private-pay and tailored to your specific history and nervous-system patterns.

If you’re curious whether this approach feels right, I invite you to schedule a consultation.

You don’t have to keep carrying this in your body alone.