Move out of the darkness of shame,
and into the light of freedom.

Therapy for Trauma, C-PTSD, and Generational Trauma

Supporting adults and first responders
In-person in Jersey City
and online throughout NY & NJ

There are times when it feels like the whole world is against you…

… Or maybe it feels like the metaphorical hits from life don’t stop and you find yourself thinking:

“this can’t be real life… where is the hidden camera?”

You may be…

  • feeling like no one really understands you, leading you to feel alone and like there is something wrong with you

  • tired of giving everyone else what they need and then feeling resentful when your relationships don’t feel reciprocal

  • feeling like you are constantly on edge, which results in emotional outbursts that you later regret, or isolating just to feel a sense of peace

  • so used to putting your own needs on the back-burner, that you have a hard time even understanding what it is that you need

  • feeling like a burden to others, which causes you to be hyper-independent and self-reliant

  • having difficulty falling asleep because intrusive thoughts about a past event seem to pop up as soon as your head hits the pillow

  • drinking, smoking or spending more to avoid the pain, however it’s impacting your relationships and your finances and you end up feeling guilty

    Trusting others, and sometimes even your own instincts, feels nearly impossible because relationships have taught you that not even you can be trusted.

Let’s be honest… the world is a crazy place.

And while your past experiences make it hard to feel safe in this crazy world, it doesn’t have to be this difficult.

The emotional numbness you feel makes it hard to connect with loved ones and colleagues. And even when you do try to connect with others, you analyze and question every word you said and every move you made. It’s exhausting!

Or maybe the only time you feel alive and connected is when you’re engaging in risky behavior and flying down the highway of life at 100mph.

Either way, the impact it is having on you, your relationships and work can no longer be ignored. Between the sleepless nights and increased stress, the joy you once felt from hobbies or other activities is gone. You’re tired of feeling like a prisoner of your past, hiding yourself to shield from the same, and are ready to break free.

That is when trauma therapy with me comes in…

Confronting painful past experiences is no easy feat, and you don’t have to do it alone.

We’ll walk together along your path to healing so you can live the life you deep down know you deserve. A life where you can express your wants, need and desires without feeling like you’re asking for too much. A life where the hangover of anxiety, shame and guilt are no longer keeping you lonely and isolated.

Trauma therapy can help you break the cycles and “programming” that your past experiences and societal norms have kept you stuck in. You can finally let go of that feeling in your soul that you were meant for something more, because you will finally have the clarity to see through the darkness and reach for your light.

With therapy, you can finally stop living in the pain of the past and start feeling more secure and fulfilled in who you are today. While it will be challenging, your future self and relationships will thank you for the work you put into your therapeutic journey today.

At the end of the day, I want you to know:

Past experiences don’t have to continue holding you back. Although we can’t change the past, we can change how much it impacts our life in the present.

How we’ll work together

  • From the beginning...

    We’ll discover new skills to help manage the distressing symptoms that have brought you to therapy. We’ll discuss and test different therapeutic techniques rooted in EMDR, Mindfulness, DBT, breathwork and movement to discover which ones provide you with the relief you are looking for.
    Remember, our therapy sessions are personalized to you, so If there are skills we discuss that don’t align with you, I encourage you to let me know so we can find something else that does.

  • Once we have established helpful coping skills...

    we’ll get started with EMDR or integrate various trauma therapy techniques, such as Parts Work, CBT, and DBT to gently uncover and heal the root causes of the symptoms you’ve been experiencing.
    During this exploration and healing process, we’ll also focus on reconnecting you with yourself, your support system and your hopes for the future.

  • My goal is not for you to be in therapy forever.

    As we move toward the end of our work together, you will develop a sense of closure from your past. While we’ll never be able to change your past, we can help you feel more in control of your thoughts and emotions so you can illuminate the light within you.

Schedule Your Free Consultation Now

Specialized support to heal

  • PTSD is a mental health condition that develops in some people, following a single event that was dangerous, shocking, or scary.

    Symptoms of PTSD can present as:

    • Being easily startled

    • Experiencing flashbacks of the traumatic event or recurring nightmares

    • Feeling tense or on edge

    • Avoiding thoughts, feelings, places, or things that remind you of the experience

    • Feeling irritable and having angry or aggressive outbursts

    • Distancing oneself from loved ones

    • Engaging in risky or destructive behaviors, including but not limited to substance abuse

    • Having difficulty concentrating and ongoing negative emotions, such as guilt, shame, or fear

    • Challenges with falling or staying asleep.

  • Known as Complex PTSD, is a mental health condition which develops when an individual has experienced repeated, long-term trauma at the hands of a caretaker or someone in a trusting role. Oftentimes it involves betrayal and loss of safety, and its presentation can be intensified by the harmful effects of oppression and racism that exist in our society. While C-PTSD is typically a result of childhood trauma, it can also present in adulthood.

    Symptoms of C-PTSD, are similar to symptoms of PTSD (see above), but may also include:

    • Feelings of worthlessness, shame and guilt

    • Difficulty with managing emotions

    • Challenges connecting with others and maintaining meaningful relationships

  • Also referred to as inter-generational trauma, it refers to the transfer of traumatic experiences or stressors from one generation to another. Generational trauma begins when a group of people collectively experience a traumatic event, such as abuse, oppression, cultural dislocation, intergenerational poverty, lack of opportunity, racism, discrimination, natural disaster, and war. The stress from those traumatic experiences gets passed down from one generation to another, via genetic changes and familial relationship dynamics.

    Signs and symptoms of generational trauma may include:

    • Limited self-worth

    • Anxiety

    • Depression

    • Feeling detached from yourself and your environment

    • Emotional numbness

    • Challenges with executive functioning (ie. making decisions, time management, critical thinking)

    • Symptoms of PTSD (see above)

  • Being a first responder (ie. firefighter, EMT, law enforcement officer, nurse, doctor, or other professionals who respond to fire, medical, hazardous material, or other emergency situations) requires coming face-to-face with some of the most dangerous, stressful and challenging situations that life can throw our way. Due to the unpredictable nature of the work and compounded stress, first responders are at a higher risk of developing PTSD compared to the general population. 

    Establishing therapeutic coping skills to support your mental health can combat the onset and severity of PTSD symptoms, while also combating burn-out and compassion fatigue. See more here

Therapy for trauma, C-PTSD and generational trauma can help you…

  • Heal from painful experiences in your past

  • Communicate your needs without feeling like a burden

  • Feel empowered and secure within yourself and in the world around you

  • Break the generational cycles of pain, shame and people pleasing

  • Stop the negative thought patterns and inner critic that are keeping you stuck 

  • Reconnect with yourself and loved ones

  • Finally live a life that is full of light and self-compassion

You matter and are worth investing in.

Ready to shed the darkness of the past and step into the light of your future?

Questions?

FAQs

  • Trauma is subjective and means different things to different people. It’s also important to note that symptoms related to trauma can present shortly after a traumatic event, or even decades later. Ultimately, trauma interferes with our ability to manage our day-to-day activities. 

    Some symptoms a person may notice include:

    • Being easily startled or frightened

    • Unwanted memories or flashbacks about the event

    • Avoiding people, places, things, or conversations that remind you of the event

    • Low self-esteem

    • DIfficulty with regulating emotions

    • Challenges with maintaining interpersonal relationships

    • Anxiety, especially around being in social spaces or situations

    • Fear of abandonment or being alone

  • Trauma therapy is a specialized form of mental health treatment aimed to help individuals heal from traumatic experiences such as those identified as one-time traumatic events, relational trauma, or generational trauma.
    Trauma is a subjective experience, and can stem from events such as abuse, witnessing violence, accidents, natural disasters, living through war, or significant loss.

  • First and foremost, we’ll create a safe and non-judgemental space where you will feel safe to explore, and eventually process your traumatic experiences. Throughout our work together, you will develop a deeper understanding of how the traumatic event(s) you experienced are impacting your physical, mental and social well-being, and establish coping skills to help reduce distressing symptoms and illuminate healing.

  • Trauma therapy is hard in the sense that you will have moments where you will feel vulnerable, angry, sad, happy, and a wide range of other emotions. It can feel confusing and overwhelming to feel so many emotions, and there may be moments of darkness. However, there is light on the other side that feels like relief, self-compassion, fulfilling relationships, and moving through life feeling more calm and confident.