PTSD
Your body did not get the message that it is over.
PTSD is not only what people picture. It follows accidents, assaults, medical events, and long stretches of unsafety. We stabilize first, then process at a pace your system can hold.
Overview
Single-incident and complex trauma need different pacing.
There is a narrow picture of PTSD in most people's heads, and it keeps a lot of people from getting help. What I see far more often is someone who was in a car accident two years ago and still cannot be a passenger, someone who went through a medical emergency and now flinches at the smell of a clinic, someone who lived for years in a household where the mood could turn without warning and who now reads every room they enter with total accuracy and total exhaustion.
Trauma is not measured by the size of the event. It is measured by whether your nervous system got to finish the response it started. When it did not, the memory stays stored differently: less like a story with an ending and more like a live wire. That is why talking about it thoughtfully for years can leave the feeling exactly where it was. The work is not about explaining it better. It is about letting the system complete something it never got to complete.
At a Glance
- Adults and couples, in person in San Diego
- Telehealth Monday through Friday across California
- EMDR certified, Gottman and EFIT Level 1 trained
- Free 15-minute consultation
Individual sessions are $210, or $325 for 90 minutes. Couples sessions are $225, or $345 for 90 minutes.
Full fees and policiesDoes This Sound Familiar?
The specifics, not a symptom list
Open any line to see how I would think about it with you.
You can feel hypervigilant in a room where nothing is actually happening.
Scanning is a skill your body kept because it was once necessary. It does not switch off because circumstances changed. We work on giving your system evidence, not arguments, that the current room is different.
The Work
Stabilization first, always
Resource before you process
Nobody goes near a traumatic memory here until there is a reliable way back. That means grounding, containment, and a felt sense of safety you can access in under a minute. For some people this phase is two sessions and for others it is two months.
EMDR as the primary tool
I am EMDR certified. Using bilateral stimulation while holding the memory, the brain reprocesses it so it becomes something that happened rather than something happening. You do not have to describe it in detail for it to work, which matters to a lot of people.
Integration into the present
Once the charge is lower we deliberately return to the things you avoided. Driving, the appointment, the room. Processing without reclaiming the life around it leaves the work half done.
The Arc
A shape, not a protocol
Everyone moves differently. This is how this particular work usually unfolds here.
We build a timeline without going into detail on anything, and we assess how much your system can currently hold. This phase alone often reduces symptoms because the not-knowing-what-is-coming piece resolves.
Questions
Answered plainly
Anything not covered here is worth asking on the free 15-minute consult.
Related Work
Do I have to describe what happened in detail?
No. EMDR does not require a full narrative account, which is one reason people who have avoided therapy for years can often do this. I need enough to select targets and keep you safe, not a complete retelling.
What is the difference between PTSD and complex trauma?
Single-incident PTSD follows one identifiable event. Complex trauma comes from prolonged exposure, often in childhood or in a relationship, and tends to affect identity and relationships more broadly. The pacing differs a lot, and complex trauma usually needs a longer stabilization phase.
Can EMDR make things worse?
Processing can stir material between sessions, which is why the stabilization phase is not optional and why we plan for the days after. If you are in a period where you have very little support, we may build capacity first rather than starting processing.
Is EMDR possible over telehealth?
Yes. Bilateral stimulation adapts to video using visual or auditory methods, and I do this regularly with clients across California. For some people the safety of their own home is an advantage.
How do I know if what I went through counts?
If your body is still responding as though it might happen again, it counts. The comparison to other people's experiences is one of the most common reasons people wait years, and it is not a useful measure.
Free 15-Minute Consult
Fifteen minutes to find out whether this is the right work.
Tell me what is actually going on. I will tell you honestly how I would approach it and what to expect.
In person in San Diego, and by telehealth across California.