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Trauma Therapy in Santa Monica
Somatic and relational care to rebuild safety, steadiness, and connection. Attuned support for people balancing demanding schedules and meaningful roles. In person in Santa Monica and online across California.
When the past feels present
You can be high-functioning and still feel hijacked by old patterns: surges of anxiety, sudden shutdowns, people-pleasing, perfectionism, or a steady hum of tension in the body. You might struggle with sleep, boundaries, or staying present with the people you love.
This is common. When difficult experiences happen over time, especially in important relationships, the nervous system adapts to keep you safe. Those adaptations worked then; now they can make daily life heavier than it needs to be.
For many people, these patterns stay hidden from others. You may show up to work, family, or community looking steady and competent, while inside you’re managing exhaustion, hypervigilance, or a sense of disconnection. Trauma responses are not a sign of weakness — they are evidence of how hard your system has worked to protect you. With the right support, those patterns can soften and new ways of living can emerge.
What is complex trauma?
Complex trauma is the cumulative impact of ongoing stress or unsafe dynamics, often beginning in childhood or within long-term relationships. It can look like emotional neglect, unpredictability, chronic criticism, or other experiences that leave lasting imprints on how safe you feel in your own skin and with others.
Feeling on alert or, at times, numb or shut down
Shame, self-criticism, or over-responsibility that’s hard to turn off
Trouble trusting, setting limits, or staying present in closeness
“Tired but wired,” headaches, restlessness, or foggy memory
Complex trauma can also develop later in life, especially when stressful environments — like demanding workplaces or unstable relationships — echo earlier patterns of not feeling safe or supported. Over time, the layering of stress and unresolved pain can shape how you relate to yourself and others. Therapy helps untangle these layers so you can reclaim a sense of steadiness.
How Trauma Therapy in Santa Monica can help
In therapy, we create consistent space to slow down and listen inward. With a somatic and relational approach, we talk, we listen to your nervous system, and we help it learn new pathways so reactions soften, you feel safer inside, and connection becomes easier.
A stronger sense of safety and self-trust
Less reactivity or shutdown; more choice in tough moments
Better sleep and day-to-day regulation
Clearer boundaries and more authentic communication
Deeper connection and intimacy in important relationships
Greater compassion toward yourself and your past
More energy freed up for goals, relationships, and creativity
What working together looks like
We’ll identify what feels most important now and move at a pace your system can integrate, using attentive pauses and simple skills that increase safety and choice.
What to Expect:
Gentle, practical nervous-system practices for settling and grounding
Attention to patterns that keep old cycles in place (perfectionism, people-pleasing, avoidance)
Attachment-informed work that strengthens safety and connection
Clear goals, check-ins on what’s shifting, and small between-session practices
Choice and consent at every step; you won’t be asked to relive events
➕ - A collaborative pace: slow enough to honor safety, steady enough for progress
➕ - Integration of body-based work with relational support so tools translate into daily life
People who tend to find this work helpful
This work often supports people carrying layered responsibilities while tending to long-standing patterns that no longer serve them.
FAQs
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No. We start by building steadiness. You choose what to share and when. We use present-moment skills to support safety while we work with what feels most helpful.
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That’s common. We can work with what’s here now: sensations, emotions, beliefs, and day-to-day patterns without perfect memory.
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We’ll talk, and we’ll also listen to your nervous system and help it learn new responses, which supports change that lasts.
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Not necessarily. While childhood experiences often play a role, therapy doesn’t require revisiting every detail. We focus on what feels relevant and safe, blending past context with present support.
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That’s a normal concern. Sessions are paced so that your system has room to regulate. We use grounding skills, pauses, and choice points to ensure the process feels supportive rather than destabilizing.
Location & Access
Private, by-appointment practice with limited openings.
In person in Santa Monica, and online for California residents. Private-pay practice.
Address
720 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 204
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Contact
Phone: (310) 377-8798
Ready to begin?
If you want to feel safer inside and closer to the people who matter, I’d be honored to help.
Even if these patterns have been with you for years, change is possible. With steady support, your nervous system can learn new ways of being that open space for safety, presence, and connection.