How can I support you?

HI, I’M MATTHEW SMITH.

A bit about my becoming

I am a therapist, writer, group facilitator, guide, dream worker and ritual designer based in the Fremont Neighborhood a.k.a ‘the center of the universe’ in Seattle, WA. In addition to my private practice work I co-facilitate Dreamtime, an intentional small group dedicated to dream work. I also participate and work towards creating healing spaces through rites of passage ceremonies, wilderness retreats, plant medicine ceremonies and breathwork. This work is a genuine honor that adds beauty, depth, meaning, value, and joy to every part of my life.

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

If you are suffering from one or many of these realities you are not broken and you are not alone. There is hope for change.

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