You're Not Broken. You're Just Carrying Things You Were Never Meant to Carry.

You lie awake replaying conversations, wondering what you did wrong. You say yes when you mean no because disappointing people feels unbearable. You scan every room for exits, read every face for signs you're annoying them, and brace yourself for rejection even in your safest relationships.

Maybe you've been told you're "too sensitive" or that you "overthink everything." Maybe you feel like you're constantly walking on eggshells, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Or maybe you just feel... tired. Exhausted from trying so hard to be good enough, to keep everyone happy, to avoid being abandoned again.

Here's what no one tells you: This isn't a personality flaw. This is what happens when the relationships that were supposed to make you feel safe... didn't. As a trauma therapist in Edmonton, I help people understand and heal from these relational wounds.

What This Actually Looks Like in Your Life

In the morning:
You wake up already anxious, running through your mental checklist of everything you need to do to keep people from being mad at you.

At work:
You overdeliver on every project, stay late without being asked, and still worry you're about to be fired or criticized.

In relationships:
You give and give and give—and then resent the people you love for not reading your mind about what you need.

With yourself:
There's a voice in your head that sounds a lot like someone from your past, telling you you're too much, not enough, or fundamentally unlovable.

In your body:
Tension that won't release. Exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix. A nervous system that's been in survival mode so long you can't remember what relaxed feels like.

Why You Feel This Way: Understanding Relational Trauma

You didn't learn to be hypervigilant, perfectionistic, or people-pleasing in a vacuum. These patterns developed because at some point—maybe in childhood, maybe in a relationship, maybe gradually over years—it wasn't safe to:

  • Have needs

  • Set boundaries

  • Disappoint people

  • Be yourself

  • Trust that love wouldn't be taken away

Maybe you grew up with a parent who was critical, emotionally unavailable, or unpredictable. Maybe you were the kid who kept the peace, managed everyone's emotions, or made yourself small to avoid conflict.

Or maybe it happened later—a partner who betrayed you, gaslit you, or made you feel crazy for having feelings. A relationship where you bent yourself into shapes trying to earn love that was never going to feel secure.

This is relational trauma—also called complex PTSD or developmental trauma. You might just call it "how I've always been."

But here's the thing: You weren't born this way. You adapted to survive.

What Relational Trauma Actually Is

It's not always dramatic. There's no single incident you can point to and say "that's when it started."

It's quieter than that:

  • Growing up feeling like love was conditional on being perfect, achieving, or not causing problems

  • Never quite feeling like you could relax and just be

  • Learning that your emotions were too much, inconvenient, or unwelcome

  • Absorbing the message that other people's needs mattered more than yours

  • Being betrayed by someone you trusted completely

  • Staying in relationships where you gave everything and got crumbs in return

The wound isn't what happened TO you. It's what you learned ABOUT yourself because of what happened.

You learned: I'm only lovable if I'm perfect. I'm too much. My needs don't matter. I can't trust anyone. I have to earn my place here.

And now you're living from those beliefs—even though they were never true.

Trauma Therapy in Edmonton: How We Work Together

I offer specialized trauma therapy and EMDR therapy in Edmonton and virtually throughout Alberta. My approach focuses on healing relational wounds, complex PTSD, and attachment trauma through evidence-based, compassionate methods.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR Therapy):
Your brain gets stuck replaying old wounds—the criticism, the betrayal, the moment you learned you weren't safe. EMDR therapy helps your brain process these memories so they stop hijacking your present. You don't have to talk through every detail. We let your brain do the healing.

Trauma-Informed, Somatic Informed Approaches:
Relational trauma lives in your body—the tightness in your chest, the knot in your stomach, the constant bracing. We'll work with grounding, breathwork, and gentle body awareness to help you feel safe in your body again.

Understanding Why You're Stuck:
The perfectionism. The people-pleasing. The shutting down or pushing people away. You're probably tired of these patterns and wish you could just stop. Here's the thing: these aren't personality flaws—they're survival strategies that made sense once. We'll help you understand why they developed and gently create new patterns that actually fit the life you want now.

Compassion-Focused Therapy:
That harsh inner voice—whether it echoes criticism you heard growing up or just feels like it's always been there—we're going to help you develop a kinder, wiser voice that doesn't require you to be perfect to deserve love.

What Changes When You Heal

You stop:

  • Lying awake replaying conversations

  • Saying yes when you mean no

  • Waiting for people to leave

  • Feeling responsible for everyone's emotions

  • Believing you have to earn your place in every room

You start:

  • Trusting yourself

  • Setting boundaries without guilt

  • Choosing people who actually show up for you

  • Feeling calm in your body

  • Believing you're enough—just as you are

You stop performing. You start living.

Who This Trauma Therapy Is For

I specialize in working with:

  • High achievers and perfectionists in Edmonton and Alberta

  • Empaths and helping professionals experiencing burnout

  • Adults healing from childhood trauma and complex PTSD

  • People recovering from narcissistic abuse or betrayal trauma

  • Women navigating identity shifts in midlife, perimenopause, or menopause

  • Anyone with ADHD struggling with rejection sensitivity and emotional dysregulation

  • Those who describe themselves as people-pleasers with boundary issues

What I Don't Specialize In

I focus on relational trauma therapy and complex PTSD treatment rather than:

  • Single-incident trauma (motor vehicle accidents, workplace injuries)

  • Combat-related PTSD

  • First responder trauma

If you're seeking support for these concerns, I'm happy to provide referrals to trauma therapists in Edmonton who specialize in these areas.

Ready to Start Trauma Therapy in Edmonton?

You've been surviving for so long. It's time to start living.

I offer trauma therapy and EMDR therapy in-person in Edmonton and virtually throughout Alberta. If you're ready to heal the wounds you didn't cause and step into who you actually are, I'd be honored to walk alongside you.