Trauma Therapy: What to Expect and How to Get Started

If you’ve been carrying something heavy for a long time, maybe for years, you might not even recognize it as trauma anymore. It just feels like the way things are. You’re exhausted, on edge, or emotionally shut down, and no matter how hard you try to push through, something isn’t resolving.

If that sounds familiar, trauma therapy might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.

This post walks you through what trauma therapy actually is, the approaches that work, and what it looks like to get started, so you can make a confident decision about reaching out.

What is Trauma Therapy?

Trauma therapy is specialized mental health treatment designed to help you process painful or overwhelming experiences, not just manage them.

This is an important distinction. Many people come to therapy having already tried to cope: deep breathing, journaling, pushing through, staying busy. Coping strategies have their place, but they don’t resolve trauma. They help you survive in the short term. Trauma therapy goes deeper, helping your brain and nervous system actually process what happened so it no longer controls your daily life.

Trauma can stem from a single event — an accident, assault, or loss — or from repeated experiences over time, like growing up in an unstable home, experiencing chronic stress at work, or surviving a relationship with ongoing emotional or physical abuse. Both are real. Both deserve treatment.

Signs You Might Benefit from Trauma Therapy

You don’t need to have a formal PTSD diagnosis to benefit from trauma therapy. Many people I work with describe themselves as ‘high-functioning on the outside, but falling apart on the inside. They hold down jobs, manage responsibilities, and show up for others, while quietly struggling with:

• Anxiety that won’t turn off, even when nothing is wrong

• Difficulty sleeping, staying asleep, or recurring nightmares

• Feeling emotionally numb, disconnected, or on autopilot

• Irritability, anger, or emotional reactions that feel disproportionate

• Avoiding certain people, places, or situations without fully understanding why

• A persistent feeling of being stuck, even when your life looks fine on paper

These are common responses to unprocessed trauma. They’re not character flaws or signs that something is permanently wrong with you. They’re signs your nervous system is still trying to protect you from something it experienced as threatening, and they’re treatable.

Trauma Therapy Approaches I use

I use evidence-based and advanced trauma therapies that have strong research support. Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT)

CPT is one of the most well-researched treatments for trauma and PTSD. It’s a structured, skills-based approach that helps you identify and shift the beliefs that developed as a result of trauma— things like “I should have done something differently” or “The world is completely unsafe.”

These beliefs make sense as survival responses. But over time, they become barriers to healing, CPT helps you examine them carefully, understand where they came from, and replace them with more balanced, accurate perspectives.

Brainspotting

Brainspotting is a newer, brain-body therapy that works differently than traditional talk therapy. Rather than relying solely on verbal processing. Brainspotting uses specific eye positions to access and release trauma stored in the deeper, non-verbal parts of the brain.

Many clients find that Brainspotting reaches things they’ve never been able to put into words. It’s particularly effective for complex trauma, emotional overwhelm, and experiences that feel “stuck” even after other treatments.

Nervous System Regulation

Trauma lives in the body, not just the mind. Alongside specific trauma therapies, I incorporate nervous system regulation techniques to help your body feel safer — calmer, more grounded, and less reactive. This might include Tone Therapy, breath work, somatic awareness, or grounding practices tailored to your nervous system and stress response.

Who I Work With

I provide trauma therapy for Adults from all walks of life. I have specialized experience working with:

• Military veterans/Active duty — processing combat trauma, moral injury, and the challenges of military life and transitioning to civilian life.

• First responders — Law enforcement, firefighters paramedics, and dispatchers dealing with occupational trauma and cumulative stress

• Survivors of domestic violence — rebuilding safety, identity, and trust after abusive relationships

• High-functioning adults — people who appear to have it together externally but feel overwhelmed, anxious, or emotionally numb internally

I also work with individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, grief, and burnout — particularly when these are connected to unresolved past experiences.

What Trauma Therapy With Me Looks Like

First, a free 15-minute phone consultation. We’ll spend a few minutes talking about what brings you in, what you’re hoping to work on, and whether we’re a good fit. There’s no pressure and no commitment required.

Then, a intake session. If you decide to move forward, our first full session is about getting to know you — your history, your goals, and what’s brought you to this point. I’ll as questions and we’ll start to map out a direction together.

Ongoing sessions. Sessions are approx 55 minutes and held either in person at my office in south Reno or via secure video. I’m available Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm PST. I accept most major insurance plans, including Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, BlueCross BlueShield, and others, as well as private pay.

Therapy with me is direct and collaborative. We’re working towards real change — the kind where you notice a difference in your daily life.

Getting Started

If you’re ready to stop managing and start healing. I’d love to connect.

You can reach me at (775)-636-2954 or schedule a free 15-minute consultation through my website. Sessions are available in person in south Reno and online across Nevada, Texas, and Vermont.

You’ve already done the hard part just by looking for help. Let’s take the next step together.