Complex trauma & C-PTSD
Dissociation and shutdown
You're in the room and also not in it. The conversation carries on, your face keeps doing its job, and somewhere around your collarbone the signal drops out.
You might recognize
Some of this may sound familiar
- Whole stretches of the evening are gone and you can't say where.
- The moment a conversation turns tense, the room goes flat and far off.
- People praise how steady you are in a crisis; inside there was nothing to be steady about.
- You surface hours later, worn out, having missed your own day.
In the work
What we actually do
Finding the early signal
Shutdown rarely arrives without warning. There is usually something just before it, and it is easy to miss. We look for yours — sound going thin, hands cooling, a particular flavor of far away. Noticing it early is often what makes a choice possible.
Small reaches, long returns
Going near the thing that caused the shutdown too quickly just produces more shutdown. So we work in short reaches with long returns, which is what pacing in complex trauma and C-PTSD work looks like in practice. You set the pace here, and you can stop when you need to.
Coming back deliberately
Leaving is a skill you already have; returning is the one we work on. Orienting, breath, contact with the chair, your own voice out loud. Internal Family Systems is useful here, because whatever takes you away is doing a job it was handed early.
“…get underneath the thinking brain and repattern your emotional world at the source.”
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is dissociation dangerous?
It started as protection and it is common. What it costs is presence — time, closeness, the ability to be in your own life while your life is happening. That cost is usually why people want to work on it.
What if this is something other than a trauma response?
Worth sorting out early. I don't treat psychosis, bipolar disorder, OCD, personality disorders, autism, severe ADHD, or moderate to severe eating disorders, and I'll say so plainly on the consultation call if I think you would be better served by someone else. I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, not a physician or a psychologist, and I don't prescribe medication.
Can this work by telehealth if I go blank?
Weekly therapy takes place via telehealth. I am licensed in New York and can only offer psychotherapy services to people who reside in New York State. Going blank in session is workable — we use it as live information instead of waiting politely for it to pass.
How long does this take?
I can't tell you that honestly. Sessions are 50 minutes, usually weekly, and therapy outcomes are not guaranteed. What I can say is that the pace gets negotiated out loud rather than assumed.
What if something happens between sessions?
If you are in danger right now, call or text 988 or dial 911. This site isn't a crisis service and email is not monitored for emergencies.
Start with a free consultation
A short conversation to see whether we would be a good fit for working together. Weekly therapy takes place via telehealth. I am licensed in New York and can only offer psychotherapy services to people who reside in New York State.