If previous therapy hasn’t worked for you, and/or you struggle with any of the following symptoms—many of which align with updated language from PTSD and Complex PTSD diagnostic criteria—it may be time to explore trauma-informed care:

• Flashbacks, nightmares, or being easily triggered

• Intrusive thoughts about distressing events, often surfacing at inconvenient times

• Physical symptoms or chronic pain that may reflect unresolved childhood trauma (somatization)

• Withdrawing or isolating from others

• Avoiding people, places, or situations that serve as reminders of past trauma

• Using alcohol, substances, food, work, or caretaking to numb or avoid difficult feelings

• Perfectionism or intense self-criticism as a way to control emotional discomfort or “messiness”

• Hypervigilance—feeling constantly “on guard,” easily startled

• Heightened sensitivity to perceived threat in others’ body language, facial expressions, or tone of voice

• Needing an “escape plan” or constantly scanning for exits

• Expecting the worst or feeling the need to prepare for self-protection

• Frequent crying or emotional overwhelm

• Taking a long time to recover from stressful events

• Persistent feelings of anger, irritability, anxiety, or panic

• Feeling hopeless, depressed, emotionally numb, or unable to experience joy

• Holding painful core beliefs such as: “There’s something wrong with me,” “I’m broken,” “I’m bad,” “No one loves me,” or “I can’t trust anyone”

• Little or no hope for the future

• Ongoing feelings of shame, guilt, or unworthiness

• Struggling to find a stable sense of self, purpose, or meaning in life

• Avoiding relationships or having difficulty trusting others

• Relying too heavily on others or fearing abandonment

• Repeatedly choosing unsafe or harmful relationships; re-enacting old emotional wounds

• Being reactive, defensive, blaming, or resistant to hearing others’ perspectives

If any of these resonate with you, know that you're not alone—and that healing is possible with the right support.

Seek help as soon as you start struggling—research shows that the earlier trauma-informed interventions are applied, the better the outcomes.

While I believe there are many paths to healing, it's important to work with an experienced provider who is trained in trauma. Because trauma is often stored in the body and not always accessible through memory or language, engaging the physical body is a crucial part of the healing process. To support you in finding the right provider, check out my blog series on 'Finding a Therapist in Baltimore' for guidance and deeper insight.

The therapist you “click” with matters most. Research consistently shows that, regardless of the therapeutic modality, the strongest predictor of progress in treatment is the quality of the therapeutic relationship.

Take the time to schedule consultations—notice who you feel comfortable with, who you can imagine opening up to, and who creates a sense of ease in the room. These first impressions are valuable starting points as you make your decision. If you’re not sure you are making the progress you want, check out my blog about How To Tell If Therapy Is Working.

A trauma-informed therapist considers the impact of abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction within the context of an individual's unique lived experience—and how those early experiences continue to influence their sense of self, relationships, and engagement with the world.

In my experience, it’s equally important that a trauma therapist can widen the ‘trauma aperture’ to include the effects of adverse community experiences such as poverty, discrimination, violence, patriarchy, colonization, enslavement, and genocide. A skilled trauma-informed therapist recognizes the significance of how trauma is stored in the body—often below the level of conscious awareness—and brings a calm, attuned, and grounded presence as individuals access, reprocess, and begin to heal from the past experiences that contribute to present-day distress.

While I don’t believe there’s a one-size-fits-all approach to healing—nor a single modality that works for everyone—I’ve found parts work to be valuable with all of my clients. It helps give voice to complex emotional experiences that may not align with what seems "rational," and is especially powerful for those healing from attachment and developmental trauma.

I'm trained in EMDR and FLASH, and have found these techniques particularly helpful for clients who are more visual and responsive to structured reprocessing methods. That said, as a clinician, I strongly prefer Brainspotting. It’s gentle, client-guided, and less structured or cognitively driven, which naturally creates more room for uncertainty, curiosity, and possibility. I deeply appreciate the intuitive nature of this modality and have adapted techniques for clients who struggle to feel sensations in their body or worry about “doing it right.”

No matter the modality, focused mindfulness and tracking sensation and emotion—core components of many trauma-processing approaches—are woven into every session I facilitate.