Trauma Therapy in Fort Lauderdale

*Online Therapy in Florida and Illinois*

Trauma doesn’t just affect your mind—it’s rooted in your body, too. It can feel like a weight you carry every day, showing up as constant tension, feeling on edge, or a sense of heaviness. These reactions can make it hard to feel safe, connect with others, or just feel at peace. Over time, trauma can trap you in a cycle of feeling stuck, frustrated, and disconnected, especially in your relationships.

You don’t have to stay stuck.

Therapy offers a compassionate way forward, a path to healing from the effects of trauma. Through a somatic approach—using tools like Somatic Experiencing (SE) and Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP)—we’ll work together to calm your body’s responses, rebuild your sense of safety, and help you reconnect with the people and activities that matter most to you.

Hi, I’m Amy!

If trauma has been weighing you down, I understand how deeply it can affect your life. It’s not just the memories—it’s the constant unease, the fear of being triggered, the sense that you’re always on edge. You might struggle to trust others, react strongly in certain situations, or shut down altogether. It can feel exhausting and hopeless, especially when these patterns interfere with friendships, relationships, and work.

I’m here to help you rebuild a sense of safety and confidence in both your body and mind, so you can move through life with more ease. Together, we’ll work to help you handle challenges with resilience, approach difficult situations with strength, and reconnect with a sense of peace and vibrancy.

If you’re ready to start healing and feel more in control of your life, I encourage you to schedule a free 20-minute consultation today.

Trauma Therapist in Fort Lauderdale

My Whole-Body Approach to Trauma Therapy

Even if you’ve worked hard in talk therapy, gaining insight into your trauma, it’s common for trauma to linger in your body.

You might feel tense, like you're always bracing yourself. Your body rarely seems to find ease.

Everyday tasks feel harder than they should. You’re avoiding people and situations, feeling stuck in a loop of fear and stress.

Talk therapy provides valuable tools, but to truly heal from trauma, we need to address how it lives in your body too. Using somatic therapy, like Somatic Experiencing (SE) and Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), we’ll help your body and mind work together to release the tension trauma holds onto.

As your body starts to unwind, you’ll feel more grounded and at ease.

Sound like something you need?

Here’s a closer look at how we’ll work together:

Somatic Experiencing (SE): We’ll tune into how trauma shows up in your body—whether through tightness, tension, or always feeling on high alert. SE helps release that physical stress, so your nervous system can finally settle.

Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP): This unique music therapy calms your nervous system, helping your body relax and making it easier to connect with others without constantly feeling on guard.

Polyvagal Theory: Trauma keeps your body stuck in a state of high alert, making it hard to feel safe. Together, we’ll reset your nervous system so you can face stress without feeling overwhelmed or shutting down.

Attachment Theory: Past relationships can shape how you experience trauma today. We’ll explore those patterns, working to build stronger, more secure connections that help you feel safe and supported.

Somatic therapy helps you feel safer in your body, allowing those intense reactions—like fight, flight, or freeze—to show up less often. And when they do, you’ll feel more ready to face them, knowing they won’t overwhelm you like before. This approach helps you heal at a deeper level by calming your nervous system and restoring a sense of control.

Instead of feeling stuck in survival mode, you’ll start to feel more resilient and capable of handling life’s challenges without shutting down or spiraling. You’ll heal from the inside out, gaining more control and confidence, even when things get tough.

Wondering if you can still do talk therapy while pursuing somatic therapy? Absolutely! Many of my clients combine both approaches, using SE and SSP to address the body’s trauma responses while talk therapy continues to help with emotional healing.

Ready to break free from the grip of trauma? We’ll release the stress your body holds onto, so you can finally move forward into the life you deserve.

Trauma Therapy FAQs

  • Trauma isn’t just about the event itself—it’s about how your body and nervous system respond to the event. It happens when something feels overwhelming—too much, too fast, or too soon—and your nervous system can’t handle it.

    Trauma can stay with you physically, affecting how you feel in your body every day. Even long after the event, your body may stay on high alert, bracing for danger, which can lead to feeling stuck, tense, or disconnected.

  • It’s not about the event but how our nervous system processes it. What might feel manageable to one person can overwhelm another. Peter Levine, the founder of Somatic Experiencing, talks about trauma occurring when there’s no empathic observer—someone supportive who can help you process what happened. Without that connection, the nervous system can remain in a heightened state of fear or overwhelm, even after the danger has passed.

  • Yes, somatic therapy can help whether your trauma happened recently or years ago. Trauma has a way of staying in the body, sometimes for decades, affecting how you feel and respond to life. Somatic therapy works to release the stuck energy and tension that have built up, allowing your body and mind to heal, no matter how long it’s been. It’s never too late to begin your healing process.

    Even if your trauma happened long ago, somatic therapy helps complete the protective response your body couldn’t finish at the time. By reconnecting with your body and addressing the lingering physical effects of trauma, you can finally release what’s been holding you back, helping you feel calmer and more in control.

    If your trauma is more recent, somatic therapy can prevent those responses from becoming deeply stored. It helps you feel safe, release the energy that got stuck, and complete the protective responses that couldn’t happen in the moment, giving you the tools to move forward with greater resilience.

    No matter when your trauma occurred, somatic therapy offers a compassionate, non-invasive way to reconnect with your body, process what happened, and build the strength to face life’s challenges with more ease and confidence.

  • No, you don’t have to talk about your trauma in detail with somatic therapy. The focus is more on how your body is holding onto the stress and tension from the trauma rather than revisiting every memory. In fact, sometimes we don’t need to talk about the traumatic experience at all. The goal is to help your body process and release the stuck energy so you can feel more at ease.

    You’re always welcome to share as much or as little as you feel comfortable with, and some sessions might involve more talking—depending on what you are needing. What’s important is that you’re in control and feel safe throughout the process. We’ll go at a pace that feels right for you, ensuring that you have a say in how each session unfolds.

    In fact, getting into too much detail too quickly can sometimes retraumatize you, so it’s important that we’re mindful of how your body is responding when you talk about these experiences. You may notice me slowing you down and taking breaks to help you resource when you feel compelled to talk about your trauma. This allows us to stay connected to a sense of safety and support, preventing overwhelm and helping you move through the process in a way that feels manageable. By doing this, we give your nervous system a chance to settle and strengthen, building resilience as we go.

  • I currently offer virtual sessions only, and Somatic Experiencing (SE) can be just as effective online as in person. During our online sessions, I’ll guide you through the same process of tuning into your body’s sensations and responses to stress. When appropriate, I’ll guide you through somatic practices, which can easily be done through the screen. The most important part of SE is helping you connect with what’s happening in your body, and we can do that just as well in an online setting, ensuring you feel safe and supported throughout.

    Being in your own space makes a big difference too. You can settle into a favorite chair, keep comforting items nearby, or even have your pet close by—all of which can help you feel more relaxed and at ease. Feeling safe in your own environment enhances the effectiveness of the therapy and allows us to focus on your healing.

    Plus, virtual sessions are much more convenient. You don’t have to take time off work, battle traffic, or worry about parking. It’s therapy that fits into your life, with less hassle and more comfort, so you can focus on what truly matters—your healing.

  • Sessions are $180

    Sessions are $180. While I don’t accept insurance, I’m happy to provide receipts that you can submit to your insurance provider for possible reimbursement.

    If you're interested in incorporating the Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP) into your sessions, it’s available for an additional cost, which you can find listed on the SSP page. We can talk about whether SSP might be a good fit for you during our consultation or at any point as we work together.

Sunset over the mountains. Trauma therapy in Fort Lauderdale.

Get help from a Fort Lauderdale Trauma Therapist

Living with the effects of trauma can feel like a heavy burden, with pain, unease, and constant triggers taking up so much space in your life. It drains your energy and makes it hard to stay connected to the people and activities that once mattered. You feel stuck in a cycle of fear and distress, far from the life you hoped to lead.

But it doesn’t have to stay this way.

With a mind-body approach to trauma therapy, real healing is possible. Together, we’ll work to release the tension, calm the fear, and help you move through life in a way that feels more grounded and fulfilling.

You deserve to live without trauma holding you back, and I’m here to guide and support you every step of the way.