Complex Trauma & CPTSD Therapy in Chicago

Somatic + EMDR therapy for adults healing from developmental trauma, relational trauma, and chronic nervous system dysregulation. Available in Chicago and online throughout Illinois.

You may not identify with a single traumatic event.

Instead, you carry a lifetime of subtle injuries:
Invalidation. Emotional neglect. Chronic criticism. Walking on eggshells. Feeling unseen.

Complex trauma (CPTSD) develops from repeated relational stress over time — and it often hides beneath over achieving, independence, or perfectionism.

I provide specialized complex trauma therapy in Chicago integrating somatic trauma therapy and EMDR for deep, sustainable healing.

What Is Complex Trauma (CPTSD)?

Complex PTSD develops from prolonged exposure to:

  • Childhood emotional neglect

  • Attachment wounds

  • Developmental trauma

  • Chronic relational stress

  • Identity-based trauma

  • Religious or cultural trauma

Unlike single-incident PTSD, complex trauma shapes your nervous system, attachment style, and sense of self.

It often presents as:

  • Persistent self-doubt

  • Emotional flashbacks

  • Hyper-independence

  • Difficulty trusting others

  • Fear of being “too much”

  • Chronic shame

  • Freeze or shutdown patterns

Many adults with ADHD discover their burnout is rooted in unresolved complex trauma.

Somatic Therapy for Complex Trauma

Trauma lives in the nervous system — not just memory.

As a specialized somatic trauma therapist in Chicago, I work with the physiological patterns that developed to keep you safe.

Somatic trauma therapy helps:

  • Regulate hyperarousal and shutdown

  • Reduce chronic hypervigilance

  • Increase emotional tolerance

  • Gently unwind survival responses

  • Restore a felt sense of safety

Rather than forcing insight or rehashing stories, we build capacity first.

This is especially important for complex trauma, where pushing too fast can recreate overwhelm.

Learn more about my approach to Somatic Trauma Therapy in Chicago.

Somatic Trauma Therapy

EMDR for Complex PTSD

EMDR therapy allows us to reprocess traumatic memories and relational wounds without reliving them in overwhelming detail.

For complex trauma, EMDR helps target:

  • Early attachment injuries

  • Core negative beliefs (“I’m not enough,” “I’m too much”)

  • Emotional flashbacks

  • Rejection sensitivity

  • Identity-based trauma

I integrate EMDR with somatic regulation to ensure your nervous system remains stable during deeper trauma processing.

You can explore more about EMDR therapy for trauma processing here.

EMDR Therapy for Trauma Processing

Complex Trauma, ADHD & Identity Stress

Many ADHD and queer adults carry layered trauma:

  • Growing up misunderstood or criticized

  • Masking neurodivergence

  • Religious or cultural invalidation

  • Chronic minority stress

When ADHD and complex trauma intersect, symptoms intensify:

  • Executive dysfunction worsens

  • Burnout accelerates

  • Emotional regulation becomes harder

  • Shame deepens

My work addresses both trauma and neurodivergence simultaneously — not as separate issues.

If ADHD burnout resonates, visit my ADHD Burnout Therapy in Chicago page.

ADHD Burnout Therapy

Neurodivergent-Affirming & LGBTQIA2S+ Affirming Trauma Therapy

My practice is explicitly neurodivergent-affirming and LGBTQ+ affirming.

You will not be pathologized for your identity.
You will not be told to simply “think differently.”
We work with your nervous system, history, and lived experience as a whole.

Complex trauma healing requires safety, collaboration, and pacing.

If neurodivergent-affirming identity & gender exploration resonates, visit my Neurodivergent-Affirming Identity & Gender Exploration page.

Neurodivergent-Affirming Identity & Gender Exploration

Complex Trauma Therapy Is a Good Fit If You…

  • Don’t relate to a single traumatic event, but feel shaped by chronic stress

  • Struggle with persistent shame or self-doubt

  • Fear being “too much” or “not enough”

  • Experience emotional flashbacks

  • Are highly independent but deeply tired

  • Have relationships that feel activating or overwhelming

If you want structured, paced, body-based trauma work rather than open-ended processing, this approach may be ideal.

Complex Trauma & CPTSD Therapy FAQs

  • Complex PTSD develops from prolonged relational trauma such as emotional neglect, attachment wounds, or chronic invalidation.

  • PTSD is typically linked to a single event, while complex trauma develops over time and affects identity, relationships, and nervous system regulation.

  • Yes. EMDR, when combined with somatic stabilization, is highly effective for processing attachment trauma and chronic stress patterns.

Complex Trauma Therapy in Chicago & Online in Illinois

  • In-person complex trauma therapy in Chicago

  • Online CPTSD therapy throughout Illinois

  • Integrative Somatic + EMDR treatment

If you’re ready to move beyond survival strategies and build secure internal stability, we can begin.

Begin Healing from Complex Trauma

Complex trauma is not a character flaw.
It is an adaptation.

Schedule a consultation to explore somatic and EMDR therapy for CPTSD in Chicago.

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