Two people can go through the same traumatic experience and react or cope with it differently depending on their previous life experiences. Some people may not consider it a trauma while others. This doesn’t mean that one person is stronger than the other. If something hurts you, it hurts, and your natural emotional reaction is valid. No one gets to define your trauma for you—not even a therapist. 

I specialize in medical trauma, which includes being dismissed by medical and mental health professionals, interacting with fatphobic medical and mental health professionals, undergoing surgery, having cancer, giving birth, and living with a chronic illness or chronic pain. You are the only one who gets to decide if you’ve experienced medical trauma. 

I also specialize in relational and attachment trauma, which is a trauma that has occurred within a close relationship. This can happen with anyone you loved, trusted, and/or relied on, either as a child or adult. 

Finally, I specialize in complex trauma, including those diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder. Complex trauma is not always the result of childhood trauma. It can also occur as a result of an adult’s experience of violence in the home, family, neighborhood, and workplace. If you have experienced complex trauma, you may experience feelings of worthlessness and shame, difficulty in connecting with yourself and others, and difficulty in managing your emotions. You may feel like you don’t know who you are and that you can’t trust yourself or the world around you.