HOLISTIC TRAUMA THERAPY
IN SEATTLE, WA.
I specialize in creating therapeutic relationships with teens and adults to process trauma, move beyond symptoms, and reclaim wholeness.
Available for in person treatment in Seattle and virtually to all WA state residents.
Imagine you are holding a map.
It is your most sacred possession, the trusted guide you have developed to navigate the complexities of your emotional and relational life. Some areas of the map are spacious, familiar, and feel like “yourself.” While other corners are dark and mysterious, marked by trauma and the unconscious power of their stories.
The gift of therapy is to allow for the safe yet brave exploration of this map, allowing every part of yourself to receive the care and healing it deserves. We will be a good fit on this journey together if you are:
Feeling stuck in emotional and relational patterns
Reeling from the disorientation of acute trauma
Weighed down by depression and low self esteem
Held captive on the edge of anxiety
Seeking escape through addiction
Caught in the waves of grief
It’s time to take a closer look at your map and how it serves you.
Do you feel stuck in the past, unable to engage in the present, and/or constantly fearful about the future? Are you struggling to create and enjoy the relationships you desire? Do you feel detached from the world, unaware of your body, and unlike yourself?
These are just a few of the difficult realities experienced by survivors of trauma. With no way to secure safety you find it almost impossible to feel happy, at ease, or connected with others. You struggle with relationships, and even find it difficult to connect with yourself. Even when you push through your fear and succeed in your professional or personal life, you feel the weight of the long black bag dragging behind you. The small voice inside robs you of joy and meaning with unrelenting insults, "You don't deserve this. You're a phony. You're disgusting."
Loneliness, self-doubt, shame, and rage keep you locked in a cycle of pain and despair and overwhelm your coping strategies.
That is why I am here…
… to help you navigate the tangled web of relationships and trauma, build the skills you need to engage your story with honesty and kindness, and to find the healing you long for.
Whether you experience the impact of everyday trauma, have survived a life threatening experience, or have endured long term exposure to harm and neglect, you are not defined by your pain or your scariest moment(s). You can learn to trust yourself and your emotions, feel alive in the present moment, and create meaningful, intimate relationships.
Even if you don't think of yourself as a 'trauma survivor,' your body may be telling a different story. Anxiety, depression, fatigue, chronic pain, lack of memory, loss of appetite, anger/irritability can be rooted in early experiences of traumatic stress.
It is important to know that you are not broken or maladaptive. You are not bad or wrong for acting out of pain. You are simply doing your best to survive. You don't need a lesson in morality, a cheap dose of motivation, or a new idea.
You need a new experience that allows you to reestablish safety, take control of your experience, feel what you're feeling, and know what you've been pretending not to know.
This is hard and courageous work that can change your life. I'm honored to join you in your process to help create a life that you love to call your own.
EVERYDAY TRAUMA
As you face the daily challenge of living with the existence pains inherent within relationships, financial insecurity, work place stress, illness, and/or life transitions you may experience:
- Loneliness
- Loss of meaning
- Difficulty accepting responsibility
- Low work place/school motivation
- Decreased desire
- Identity crisis
- Disruptive behavior
- Fear of death
ACUTE TRAUMA
Abuse, rape, violence, and life threatening moments can overwhelm your survival system and leave you experiencing:
- Anger/rage
- Increased irritability and anxiety
- Lack of safety
- Feeling out of control (hyperactive)
- Feeling numb (hypoactive)
- Difficulty concentrating
- Chronic pain
- Difficulty sleeping
- Flashbacks & nightmares
COMPLEX TRAUMA
Complex trauma has many faces, including developmental trauma, neglect, chronic abuse, intergenerational trauma and long term exposure to harm, often resulting in the experience of:
- Self contempt
- Isolation and shame
- Inability to feel
- Disconnection from body
- Confusion of past/present/future
- Self harm and suicidal ideation
- Loss of memory
GREETINGS, MY NAME IS MATTHEW.
A bit about me…
I am a licensed therapist based in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle, WA. I specialize in treating all forms of trauma by utilizing evidence based practices such as EMDR, somatic practices, and interpersonal psychotherapy. As a relational therapist I bring deep curiosity towards your own relational experience and trust that the therapeutic relationship will become it’s own vehicle for healing.
Keeping an open mind and heart to the mysterious ways of the psyche (soul), I also bring elements of depth psychology, nature, and ritual work into the therapeutic process. This may include welcoming dreams, designing personal rituals that incorporate nature, or promoting regulation through somatic practices.
