Trauma Therapy

In San Luis Obispo and Across California

Therapy office in San Luis Obispo with comfortable and low lighting

You’re still bracing for a past that is over.

Your mind may know you are safe, but your body hasn’t caught up yet. Talking about your past in previous therapy hasn’t brought you a sense of stillness or calm, and hasn’t led to recovery. Trauma has a way of living in the present, showing up as a relentless inner voice, a nervous system that won't stop racing, or a profound sense of exhaustion that no amount of sleep can fix.

If you feel "stuck" in old patterns or disconnected from your own life, it’s because your brain and body are still trying to protect you from a past that hasn't quite felt over. To help you grow from automatic to authentic, we use an integrated toolbox of specialized therapies designed to heal the root of trauma.

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Trauma-Focused Therapy in San Luis Obispo and Across California

Trauma isn’t just a memory of what happened; it’s a lingering imprint on your nervous system that dictates how you feel, react, and see yourself today. When traditional talk therapy feels like it’s only scratching the surface, we need tools that reach deeper. We utilize specialized approaches to help you address the stored echoes in your body and the internal conflicts in your mind. We don't just manage your history, we transform your relationship with it, one step at a time.

Parts-Work

Parts-work is a therapeutic method of addressing the various parts of ourselves. We all have “parts” that may not be on the same page about decisions, goals, or memories. The internal “tug-of-war” is what we address with parts-work. Through mindfulness, imagery, or art, we gather all the parts of you to the table and work together to heal and move forward. In our sessions, we don’t try to "fix" or get rid of these parts of you. Instead, we get curious about them. We learn why they are so protective and help them "step down" from their exhausting, high-stress jobs. By healing the parts that are stuck in the past, we allow your calm, confident, and authentic self to get back into the driver’s seat.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

EMDR is a somatic therapy that addresses traumatic memories. Sometimes, our most difficult experiences get "stuck" in the nervous system, feeling just as raw and intense today as the day they happened. This is why you might feel a sudden surge of panic or a wave of "not good enough" even when you know, logically, that you are safe. EMDR is a specialized tool that helps your brain take a traumatic memory, and store it differently so it becomes less distressing. The weight you’ve been carrying doesn’t have to be there forever. Together, we can create a path toward a life that feels lighter, calmer, and entirely your own.

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Trauma Focused Therapy

Central Coast Psychotherapy provides therapy to individuals, couples, and families 12 years old and up.

    • Adults recognizing their childhood was traumatic

    • College students struggling with fear

    • People who experienced or experience sexual assault, sexual abuse, or relationship violence

    • Adults wanting to parent differently than their parents did

    • People with childhood trauma

    • Military personnel coping with PTSD

    • People who have tried talk therapy and it wasn’t effective for addressing their past

    • Anyone struggling with depression, anxiety, perfectionism, trauma, or PTSD.

    • Adolescents who experience or have experienced bullying

    • Teens dealing with self-harm or suicidal thoughts

    • LGBTQ+ youth wanting a space to discuss gender and sexuality

    • Teens trying to cope with a world that feels hopeless

    • People who were adopted or in foster care

    • Teens who experience or have experienced sexual assault, sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, or child abuse

    • Teens who experience or have experienced dating violence

    • Anyone struggling with depression, anxiety, perfectionism, trauma, or PTSD.

    • People struggling with communicating about their past

    • Adults who want to understand their partner better

    • Those who feel uncomfortable crying with their partner

    • People who want to learn new coping skills to be effective parents and partners

    • People who have adopted a child

    • People who have lost a child

    • People coping with grief and loss

    • Anyone struggling with depression, anxiety, perfectionism, trauma, or PTSD.

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