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Specialty: Complex Trauma
What is complex trauma?
My definition of complex trauma is informed by various, "expert" sources which many can quickly find through google, and significantly through my lived professional and personal expriences while working as a psychotherapist through the years.
I define complex trauma as a stored process developed from repeated and extreme, compounding adverse experiences not limited to childhood. This said, complex trauma is more likely to develop during impressionable and more vulnerable, developmental years.
In daily life, this stored process seemingly spontaneously arises and impacts the self as a whole and its components: the physical body (nervous system and other biological systems and processes), the mind (thoughts and perceived experiences), emotions (an inseparable blend of perception, sensations, and meaning), and even what some may consider their spirit. The impact also extends to the person's life or external components that is in relationship with the self (chosen responsibilities, relationships, behavioral patterns intertwined with the environment, and opportunities and growth).
When complex trauma is considered Complex PTSD, this means it also meets criteria for PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder). PTSD develops from shocking, life threatening (whether direct, secondary, concrete, or perceived) experiences. This can include life threatening neglect or abuse, sexual abuse, incidents of self-harm, accidents, disasters or war.
Complex trauma and Complex PTSD is developed and stored due to the body, mind, emotional and spiritual self being unable to digest the repeated and compounding adverse experiences even after a significant amount of time has passed. Reasons for this inability may be due to limited internal resources or capacity that is developmentally or circumstantially appropriate. What is too much for the self does not necessarily disappear and may become an unconscious or disconnected process within the self instead.
What are symptoms of trauma?
Due to this unconscious or subconscious quality of the impact of complex trauma / Complex PTSD, someone may realize they are suffering when they notice repeated patterns in their life that feels like "survival mode", "failure to thrive", "scarcity mindset", chronic and unexplainable anxiety, self-sabotaging behavior, a pattern of unhealthy or stressful seemingly chosen patterns of behavior, relationships, responsibilities, and circumstances. The sufferer may misattribute the root of the issue to other mental health challenges that focus on a cluster of surface level symptoms, unavoidable misfortune, or "negative" external factors, people, places, or things.
What is trauma recovery and posttraumatic growth?
The therapy or recovery process of complex trauma and Complex PTSD center around growing awareness and agency at a pace that the person recovering from trauma can tolerate and integrate consciously. In a way, working through what was unable to be worked through before while being firmly in the present. I've found NARM therapy offers a very helpful framework to support therapist and client in this process.
Recovery from complex trauma or Complex PTSD does not erase what has already transpired and developed as a way of coping much like an injury or deep wound and the tissue's way of accommodating will permanently alter someone. In fact, some of what developed out of trauma may even be useful tools when it is no longer fused with and subconscious within the self. A reasonable expectation with recovery and also sometimes considered "posttraumatic growth" is how successful someone can prevent or reduce harm from re-injury or re-wounding due to their improved capacity for awareness and agency over their experience and behaviors.
Through therapy appointments, there is space to go into the nuances of complex trauma or Complex PTSD symptoms, and specific potential paths to recovery and growth. It's notable that while the EU recognizes through the ICD-11, the DSM (Diagnostic Statistical Manual) or what American mental health providers reference for diagnosis does not recognize Complex PTSD as a formal diagnosis. I may use "Other Reactions to Severe Stress" or even "Generalized Anxiety Disorder" to indicate the presence of symptoms that may stem from complex trauma or PTSD if it is a more severe case of Complex PTSD.
Links with more information:
NARM Therapy
Therapy developed for complex trauma
What is NARM and what does it mean to be a NARM Therapist?
Being a NARM Master Therapist means I have completed the full formal training in the NeuroAffective Relational Model. Gaining advanced knowledge in providing psychotherapy through the training, I integrate NARM principles and skills into almost every session I offer.
NARM is a therapeutic approach specifically designed to address complex trauma and the internal patterns that affect quality of life that often emerges alongside it. These patterns usually began as adaptations to early adversity, but can become automatic and unhelpful when responding to a source of stress that is no longer present.
One of the things I appreciate most about NARM is how well it translates to online therapy. As long as you are in a private, comfortable space where you can safely turn inward, we can do this work together from anywhere. While many nature-based or mindfulness approaches focus on awareness of the external world, NARM centers on your internal world in how you relate to your own thoughts, sensations, and emotions in the present moment as the foundation for healing.
NARM is trauma-informed and depth-oriented. It recognizes the impact of unprocessed trauma and the role of the subconscious in shaping our lives. Sessions are experiential and mindfulness-based, meaning we work together in real-time with what arises. This approach is also relational as we pay attention to how you’re feeling in our present connection, and somatic in including the awareness of physical sensations and nervous system shifts that happen as part of the healing process.
As a NARM therapist, I skillfully work within the four pillars of the model:
Clarifying the Therapeutic Contract – getting clear about what you want from therapy and receiving your active consent for our work
Asking Exploratory Questions – gently inviting curiosity with your experiences and how it may relate to what you want with therapy
Reinforcing Agency – supporting your capacity to choose your experience based on what we learn
Reflecting Psychobiological Shifts – noticing present physical shifts as we explore to support embodied, fuller awareness
NARM also explores what are called survival styles or patterns developed early in life as a means to survive.
To learn more about NARM, you may find more information through the Complex Trauma Training Center or the NARM Training Institute
Resources for Trauma
The following are resources I recommend for individuals navigating trauma, especially complex or developmental trauma.
Books and Podcasts
Healing Developmental Trauma: How Early Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image and the Capacity for Relationship is written by the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM therapy) Creator and International NARM Institute Senior Faculty, Laurence Heller, PhD with NeuroAffective Touch creator, Aline LaPierre, PhD and The Practical Guide for Healing Developmental Trauma was written by North American Complex Trauma Training Center Director, Brad Kammer, LMFT. These books help define the patterns and survival strategies shaped by complex trauma and Complex PTSD to support awareness and agency. They’re also a good companion to the NARM work we may do in therapy.
The Transforming Trauma podcast hosted by Emily Ruth McIntosh, LMFT features conversations with trauma experts from various modalities, all viewed through a NARM lens. It’s a helpful way to explore different approaches to healing while grounding in a shared understanding of complex trauma.
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD and Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma (pdf) by Peter Levine, PhD offer a foundational look at how trauma lives in the body. While somatic responses are often more obvious with PTSD or “shock trauma,” they also significantly affect the experience and symptoms of complex trauma. NARM was developed by faculty and draws clinicians from Somatic Experiencing therapy model with its cognitive (top-down) and somatic (bottom-up) approaches integrated within a therapy session.
Other Therapy Models
Some clients ask about other well-known approaches, like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for PTSD or IFS (Internal Family Systems) for complex trauma. Personally and professionally with clients and colleagues who are more aligned with the therapy I provide, I’ve found these models can sometimes feel too structured or cognitively driven, and may limit organic and holistic exploration.
Medication and Psychedelic Integration
Research on the use of ketamine and other psychedelics for trauma treatment is growing. While I do not administer medication or psychedelics, I’ve supported clients in integrating these experiences into therapy. I also consult with colleagues academically trained in this area, as needed, to ensure the support I offer is informed and responsible.
Peak Experiences
Following my mention of psychedelics, I’ve seen how external catalysts in the form of intentional community time, creative endeavors, or purposeful travel outside of one's comfort zone can be mind opening and somatically expanding. These moments of aliveness may subdue the effects of trauma while creating new territory that allows for growth post-trauma. Realistic opportunities or options for peak experiences can be explored in a session together.
You can read more about my approach to trauma therapy and NARM in the More Information section of my site.
Resources with a Collective Lens
These resources center the broader social, cultural, and intergenerational contexts of trauma.
Like many therapists who work with complex trauma, I am aligned with the work of Gabor Maté, MD. I learned about his trauma therapy model called Compassionate Inquiry, in 2022 during my NARM training. I found it then to be less developed in terms of clinical training and application with Gabor endorsing NARM as a modality for trauma healing at the time. With my limited knowledge of his model, I tend to more often recommend his books and recorded talks, which are widely available and offer a systems-level yet personal understanding of trauma, addiction and other maladaptive coping, and societal disconnection.
In 2025, I noticed how Gabor is more visible in connecting with work that focuses on indigenous wisdom and psychology such as those of Darcia Narvaez, PhD and Wahinkpe Topa authors of perhaps my favorite book and number one recommendation on collective healing, Restoring the Kinship Worldview. He has also been active in communities like SAND (Science and Nonduality), which are communities re-evolving to incorporate ancestral and indigenous knowledge to support mental healthcare.
For those curious about their own ancestral lineage and cultural roots, whether they identify as white or BIPOC (black, indigenous, or a person of color), I recommend the workbook Ethnoautobiography, Stories and Practices for Unlearning whiteness, Decolonization, Uncovering Ethnicities by Jürgen W. Kremer and River Jackson-Paton or this free article by Jürgen introducing this work. While it may seem divisive at first glance, it provides some structure on how each person is uniquely indigenous to planet earth and provides exposure to the shared responsibility for a more sustainable and authentic relationship with the world around us.
Lastly, I often recommend Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World by Vivek Murthy, MD former U.S. Surgeon General. Though it doesn’t explicitly focus on collective trauma, it speaks directly to how loneliness, disconnection, and the fragmentation of modern life contribute to rising rates of mental and physical ailments. His work offers a broad, public lens on something many clients already feel, but may not openly talk about which is that the environments and societies we live in itself are not well.
Specialty: ADHD
What is ADHD?
My definition of ADHD is a culmination of reviewing research and medical information on this diagnosis from various experts, and my lived professional and personal experiences while working as a psychotherapist. ADHD or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder is within the umbrella of neurodiversity or a neurological level of difference in overall baseline perception and experiences of external information. ADHD specifically involves dopamine and norepinephrine pathing and this being a primary factor with challenges involving motivation and productivity that cause significant issues in daily functioning.
How is ADHD diagnosed and treated?
ADHD is typically diagnosed through a comprehensive neuropsych that tests specific neurological functioning. Neuropsychs are conducted by licensed psychologists that have received specific training to conduct these structured assessments. Diagnosing can also be through a Master's level clinician or any other mental healthcare provider that has a license to independently practice that may start as a self-screening followed by qualitative interviews and phenomological experiences with the client over the course of therapy to support or adjust the diagnosis.
Due to the biological makeup of ADHD, symptoms are typically required to be present in childhood although there has been an increase in adult diagnosis even with limited concrete information available from childhood. This said, there are many cases when symptoms are present but may not have been recognized potentially due to lack of ADHD symptom awareness from caregivers and educators or due to other co-occurring issues that may obscure these symptoms ranging from anxiety, depression, aggressive behavior, or challenging environmental issues with family and peers taking the focus away or even Giftedness or exceptional abilities compensating for struggles with ADHD. In these cases, clients or patients may not receive a diagnosis until these are resolved or differentiated which may not occur until adulthood. Through therapy, adults may reprocess experiences in childhood with consideration of their ADHD symptoms.
You may notice someone with ADHD having extended or unpredictable periods of time with decreased or increased motivation and productivity that is in consistent conflict of what is required of them in their work and responsibilities leading to common labels of "lazy", "unambitious", "self-centered", and "undisciplined". Adding to this misunderstanding, they may have uncommon motivation and productivity or the ability to "hyperfocus" on activities or projects they personally enjoy due to their differences in dopamine and norepinephrine pathing. To support them in these extended or unpredictable states involving motivation and productivity that lead to difficulty following through and completing tasks, people with ADHD may require medication to regulate, extra assistance or understanding from professors, bosses, family members, friends with deadlines and time management, and/or acceptance of significant changes in lifestyle that allow for their natural shifts and states.
A person considered predominantly hyperactive type may be more sensitive to external, tactile information while those with predominantly inattentive type may be more focused inward with their internal experiences. I sometimes consider inattentive type, internal hyperactivity. Inattentive types may be those who may overdo activities that require less physical exertion that allow them to channel their internal hyperactivity rather than push past it. This may involve many hours playing video games, scrolling online, or deep in personal reflections or daydreams. Those with hyperactive type may have difficulty sitting for extended periods of time, need a certain amount of physical activity daily to "expel excess energy" or have careers that implement the physical which allows them to go with their hyperactive state. All these activities must be considered detrimental to basic daily functioning and following through such as difficulties with maintaining their homes, jobs, and relationships to where it harms their health and wellbeing to be considered a disorder.
As mentioned throughout this section, treatment can be a combination of therapy to support awareness needed to make lifestyle, social, and environmental changes as well as exploring medication options with an outside medication provider.
Links with more information:
Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)
ADHD Self-Report Scale
ADHD Self-Report Scale with Hyperactive vs Inattentive
Wender Utah Rating Scale for ADHD
Resources for ADHD
Like many conditions, ADHD comes from an inseparable blend of nature and nurture. I often recommend Scattered Minds by Gabor Maté, which explores how trauma and early environment can influence the development and expression of ADHD.
While upbringing and context matter, I’ve found that the most effective treatment for ADHD usually combines behavioral and lifestyle changes with medication. Medication often addresses the neurological or biological components more directly, while therapy supports changes at a more conscious level with self-nurturing and co-creating changes in relationships and environmental factors.
With starting medication, I recommend working with a psychiatrist, MD who specializes in ADHD, a psychotherapist (such as myself) for longer-term and more nuanced support, and, if possible, neuropsych testing with a psychologist for a more detailed ADHD or cognitive functioning assessment. A neuropsych is not required for diagnosing and medication, but is best practice to recommend especially for those who are concerned about other co-occurring neurological issues. You can learn more about ADHD diagnosing in the More Information section of my site.
At this time, I don’t have specific neuropsychologists I refer to directly. However, many well-reviewed providers can be found online. Those who do not accept insurance or accept private-pay only often have more availability. If you're using insurance, I recommend contacting your insurer directly to explore your options. As with therapists, the quality and focus of training and clinical experience of neuropsych professionals can vary which can affect results.
For medication access, I've learned of success connecting with providers with Circle Medical or Zocdoc since appointments are often quick and accessible which works well with therapy that allows more room to process medication effects. Other online psychiatry services include Done. and Talkiatry. These can be useful, especially in areas like Austin, TX, where local psychiatric providers are limited and may not specialize in ADHD, which can impact the range of medication options offered.
If you're preparing for a medication consult and want to go in well-informed, I recommend Russell A. Barkley, PhD’s work including the comprehensive Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, A Handbook for Diagnosis and Treatment, along with relevant episodes from Huberman Lab, which explore the neuroscience behind attention and executive functioning.
Behaviorally, many people, myself included find body doubling to be a highly effective tool. I first recommend cultivating or joining an online or in-person community you can feel safe to vulnerable with and have honest conversations. If this is not available or convenient enough with your needs, there are platforms like Focusmate, Focused Space, and Caveday on demand.
And of course with some awareness of its limits with confidentiality and capabilities as a tool, there is ChatGPT and other AIs or LLMs with a memory system as another way to support accountability with behavioral changes.
Therapy is highly recommended as a place to check-in with the use and effectiveness of non-human and therefore, non-discerning tools, and to explore how to adjust the use of them to better align with the way you naturally work.
Other Specialties?
I have worked with and am familiar with a very wide range of diagnoses and mental health challenges that I have not mentioned here. I invite you to mention any mental health related concern you may have through a consultation call or during our next appointment. If I notice limits to my understanding than what is required in the near future or a need for a different kind of mental health support than individual therapy, I provide the space to explore this and may provide referrals to other specialized providers so you can receive comprehensive care.
Misc Resources
If you’ve worked with me long enough, you likely know that beyond therapy for complex trauma and ADHD, I value exploring creativity, self-actualization, the authentic self and relationships, and environmental stewardship for future generations.
Here are a few resources I have recommend with clients and colleagues that speak to this:
Hidden Brain - A long-time favorite of mine. With rich storytelling and thoughtful interviews, this podcast brings mental health and psychology topics to life in a grounded, accessible way.
The Creative Act - This book, which is also great as an audiobook, invites a rethinking of creativity as something essential and human, not just artistic. It’s especially helpful for uncovering new ways of seeing and being.
The Psychology Podcast - This show focuses on personal development and self-actualization through interviews of experts in psychology and mental health and often highlights strengths and growth rather than pathology.
Myers-Briggs & 16Personalities - Though often debated, I find that personality testing when used with curiosity and care can help us recognize and appreciate different ways of being. I completed the official MBTI certification years ago, but have grown to prefer accessible tools that have further developed in community like 16Personalities for viewing identity in this lens.
Intergifted - This website can be an introduction to the concept of giftedness and also twice exceptionality or 2e which all fits under the umbrella of neurodiversity. They also have a podcast called Gifted Trauma.
Women Who Run with the Wolves - A poetic, myth-informed exploration of feminine archetypes and wisdom. It can be particularly helpful for mothers and female caregivers wanting to reclaim their full identity as women. Best read with awareness of its cultural and historical context.
The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work - This book offers a practical, research-based guide for couples who want to build or repair partnership. While not trauma-specific, it pairs well with trauma-informed individual and couples therapy.
Paired - Some of my clients have used this app and found it helpful for deepening connection in a convenient way through texting and journal prompts that is accessible to both partners.
Good Inside - Created by psychologist Dr. Becky Kennedy, this book, community, and podcast offers support for parents navigating the complexities of raising children that goes deeper than behaviors.
Buy Now - This one may be more provocative, but it offers a valuable lens on consumerism and its psychological impact, both individually and culturally. It invites critical reflection on how the systems we live in shape our mental health and our choices.
More to Come
I’ll continue adding to this list over time and may also post on my Instagram @mindfulscape. I believe that mental healthcare can come from many different directions and sources, and can be integrated and centered through consistent, longer term individual therapy.
Spaces in Austin, TX
Google Map Lists. Spaces to reconnect
with community and nature.
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Indoor community spaces
Nature spaces, small parks
Nature spaces, state parks