Complex trauma & C-PTSD
Shame and self-worth
Shame doesn't argue with you. It sits underneath the day rating everything you do, and it has never once needed evidence to reach a verdict.
You might recognize
Some of this may sound familiar
- Someone praises your work and you feel exposed rather than pleased.
- You can list your achievements and none of them count toward the verdict.
- You replay a passing interaction from Tuesday and wince again.
- You would much rather be needed than known.
In the work
What we actually do
Ending the argument
You have probably already debated this with yourself and lost. Instead of trying to win, we notice when shame turns up, what it is standing guard over, and how old the voice sounds. Shame narrows the field; curiosity widens it.
Where it landed in you
Worthlessness is rarely only a thought. It has a posture, a temperature, a place it sits in you. Experiential and somatic work goes there rather than talking around it, which is often how it reaches material that understanding alone leaves exactly where it was.
Borrowed verdicts
A verdict this heavy was usually installed by someone. We trace it back — family, a high-demand religion, a relationship that ran on your compliance — and look squarely at who was served by you believing it. That thread runs straight into complex trauma and C-PTSD. Progress here is usually gradual and uneven, and therapy outcomes are not guaranteed.
“If you've ever felt like you understand your issues but can't seem to change them, that difference matters.”
FAQ
Questions people ask
Isn't this just low self-esteem?
Self-esteem is an opinion you hold about yourself. Shame is a conviction about what you are, and it survives counter-evidence without much difficulty. They call for different kinds of work.
I've worked on this before and it didn't move.
That is a common place to begin here. Many people arrive having done real therapy, gotten somewhere true, and then hit a plateau, and the plateau is usually the point where insight stopped reaching the body.
Can we meet in person?
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. The only in-person work I offer is ketamine-assisted therapy, which is a separate service, never a first-line treatment, and open only to people already doing ongoing psychotherapy with me. Those sessions run 180 minutes at $846, at my Manhattan office or in your home, and the medication is prescribed, screened, and overseen by a separate independent licensed medical provider, never by me.
What happens on a first call?
A free consultation of 15 to 20 minutes, by video or phone, with no obligation. You tell me what's going on, I tell you how I work and whether I think I'm the right fit, and you decide from there.
What if shame gets loud between sessions?
We plan for that rather than hope about it. 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.